The World Goes On
by Sparky She-Demon
Summary: What if there had been a narrow margin of opportunity for Elizabeth to have been "rescued" by the IOA for their own nefarious purposes? Rated for future content. First jaunt into SGA fandom, so please be kind. Now open to anonymous reviews.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A/N: This takes place seven years earlier than the first chapter when it comes up. This is also my first journey into the world of Stargate: Atlantis. So please be kind! IzzieStar has helped me refine this story, also helping with the writing. **

"_Damn IOA bastards. Always getting in the way of what needs to be done."_ was General Jack O'Neill's first thought whenever he saw those representatives from the governing body of the countries that knew about the existence of the Stargates. They were sort of the Internal Affairs of the SGC. They'd been trying to figure out whether they could control the nanites enough to use them for medical purposes. They'd said that there was someone had been rescued and had participated in the project. Unfortunately, the project had not been successful.

"So who is the lucky winner that's going into Witness Protection for being the guinea pig for your science experiment?"

"That is need to know General, and you don't need to know."

Losing patience, tapped his two star general rank insignia. He growled,

"You are using my people; **I** have the need to know."

They had a staring contest for about 30 seconds when the rep nodded his surrender.

"As you wish, General, I'll tell you who it is if you promise to behave in a civilized manner."

O'Neill relaxed slightly. The man smoothed his suit before saying,

"Before I tell you, you have to sign this confidentiality agreement to not tell **anybody**…"

O'Neill signed it without a second thought. He would learn later that he would regret that decision.

"Especially not anyone from the Atlantis expedition, General. You can't tell them anything about this person and anyone that may be with at a future date."

"Why, who's the person?"

"Come outside with me General, and you will see who it is."

He went with the rep from the IOA. Even though he couldn't see the man's face, he could practically hear the man's smirk. Once they got to the meeting room, he realized why the man had been smirking. The person going into witness protection was the now former leader of the Atlantis mission, Doctor Elizabeth Weir. She stood up when he came in. Her clothes seemed baggier than normal. If one looked closely enough and if you knew her really well, you could tell she was…

"_Oh boy!"_

After a few seconds of disbelief, he turned to the IOA rep and motioned for him to leave the room. Before leaving, he said to Elizabeth,

"Excuse me Doctor Weir; I need to have a word with this man in private."

Quickly leaving the room and dragging the IOA rep with him, he found an empty conference room.

"You self-serving pretentious asshole, now I know why you don't want anybody to know!"

"You can't do anything about that now, you signed that form. So as long as you are in the Air Force, you have to obey it. And by the way she refuses to identify the father. Maybe an old friend could get it out of her?" he asked with an evil grin on his face.

"I am not going to ask her that, it's her business who the father is and no else's here or anywhere else for that matter. You guys in the IOA just want to make life for her more difficult than it already will be."

The man had a smug look on face. Until that is, O'Neill gave an order.

"Tell me where she's going to be staying." in a tone of voice that said that it was not a debate or a request. It was an order.

"She'll be in Sedona Arizona. It's big enough to have things to do, but small enough to be able to keep an eye on her surreptitiously."

"Is she going to have any kind of privacy?"

"As much as pregnant lady with tiny robots running around her system is entitled to, we aren't going to be putting too many bugs in the house."

"How many is not too many?"

"That is not of your concern, General. Now shall we get down to business?"

Glaring at the man, he held the door open for him and shut the door behind him quickly. When heard the man stumble and curse, he smirked.

When the details of Elizabeth's relocation were finalized and a Doctor had been briefed on Elizabeth's unique physiology in preparation for the birth, O'Neill stayed back as Patterson took an urgent call on his cell.

"You know, Doctor? I've never been to Sedona. Always wanted to visit though."

Looking at him for the first time, Elizabeth nodded her thanks with a tearful smile. The IOA rep returned to the room and put his hand out for O'Neill, which he accepted with a dirty look.

Three Years Later

Since General Jack O'Neill had taken his new job as the Head of Homeworld Security, his life had been going pretty well; he was his own boss and he'd finally got the chance to be with the woman he loved. There was one thing that played on his mind and worried him with distressing frequency though. And with this thought he took out a confidentiality agreement and pushed it in front of Sam as she was completing her latest mission report. Once she had finished reading it through, she looked up at him with confusion.

'What is this about, Sir?'

'Sign it and you'll find out. And can we drop the 'Sir'. We're not at work.'

She scribbled her signature across the dotted line and returned it to Jack who slipped it in to his jacket pocket.

'Are you going to tell me what this is about?' Sam asked.

'A couple of years ago I had a visit from an IOA rep, said he had something to show me, turned out that it was Elizabeth Weir.'

'That can't be possible – she's dead, I was there when it was confirmed.'

'Well it is possible – I've seen her, somehow they managed to rescue her. God knows, maybe it was them who planted the clone.'

'What does the IOA want with her?'

'Not just her actually; Elizabeth's a mother now.' Jack said, raising his eyebrows.

At this, Sam's jaw visibly dropped slightly, 'Still, what use could she be to the IOA?'

'They're pretty interested in Elizabeth's robotic self-healing abilities – you know cure cancer, that sort of thing. Next on the list, world domination.'

Sam smiled at him, 'and what about the kid? Who's the father?'

'Kids, plural, actually. I have my suspicions, but I wouldn't mind a second opinion.'

Despite it being made clear to him that there would be repercussions if he did attempt to contact Elizabeth, he'd managed to make his way over to Sedona a couple of times now – the knowledge that his friend was completely isolated too much of a pull for him to ignore – and Elizabeth had worked out where in her house was bugged within about an hour of living there, so he was pretty sure that it was safe to take Sam.

About two days later, they were parked outside a small, nondescript house, the garden littered with toys. They made their way up to the house, from which they could hear Elizabeth singing a nursery rhyme, and rang the bell. The singing stopped and they heard several locks being undone before the door opened to reveal a surprised Elizabeth.

'Come on in. I'll be down in a minute.' She whispered.

Then, in a sing-song voice, she said, 'No, I'm not interested, thank you.'

Sam looked to O'Neill in confusion, but he put his finger to his lips and guided her downstairs to the basement, which had a personal touch that no other room in the house had, with several comfy sofas and photographs of the friends she could no longer see.

'The only room in the house that isn't bugged – I don't think they were counting on Elizabeth's interior design skills. That was what the whole 'thank you' thing was about – she has to cover up who was at the door so they don't get suspicious.' O'Neill explained.

'How can they treat her like this? She's a good person – there are people out there who miss her and would love to see her again.' Sam said.

O'Neill squeezed her hand as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs, the light gradually revealing a three year old on each of her hips. As the light finally hit their faces, and more importantly their hair, Sam gasped.

'Colonel Sheppard is the father?'

'See, that what I thought too.' O'Neill said.

'Yes, John's the father.' Elizabeth said sadly.


	2. Journey's End

**Chapter I: Journey's End…**

**A/N: Shout out to IzzieStar, who helped a lot with this chapter. Enjoy! She-Demon**

* * *

><p>After almost seven years of keeping his mouth shut, all of that was about to end. About one month ago, Jack O'Neill had retired from the USAF with two stars on his shoulders. The reason he kept quiet for one more month was simple: He wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet before stirring up the Chinese firedrill that the IOA started. The proviso had been <em>"So long as you are in the Air Force, you can't say a word"<em> Well he was out of the Air Force now, and there was nothing left to come between him and doing something that he should have done long time ago.

A few days earlier, he had contacted the now full-bird colonel John Sheppard and had asked him to come to Washington. Fortunately, there had been some conveniently timed leave for Sheppard to use, so he'd taken up on the retired general's offer to come to Washington.

As he waited for Sheppard to arrive, O'Neill thought,

"_The kids. Should I tell him about them, or do I leave that for Elizabeth. She most likely will want to do that herself."_

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a knocking at the door. Jack stretched slightly, thinking,

"_I have a lot to explain to him. He's going to be pissed."_

"Hello John. Come on in."

O'Neill invited Sheppard in with an awkward smile and immediately set about passing the time until he would have to break the news and settling his nerves by getting them both a beer. They clinked bottle necks and O'Neill took a deep swig. Sheppard asked,

"So how's retirement treating you sir?"

"Not too badly. Don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and when I do, Carter's right there beside me, no saluting, and now, I can focus on fishing. I just got back from a trip actually."

"Catch anything sir?" John asked, trying as hard as he could to sound interested in this.

"Not really. The weather was great though."

While they continued talking, Sheppard noticed that O'Neill seemed to be nervous. About what, he wasn't sure, but there was something very definite in the way that the General was avoiding his eye and twisting his beer between his hands. Deciding to cut straight to the chase, he said,

"Sir, you called and asked if I could come and see you in Washington, I don't think it was to talk about the weather and your skills as a fisherman. Whatever it is that you want to tell me, just get it done and over with."

O'Neill grinned slightly. Sheppard had never been easy to fool. So he got down to business.

"Seven years ago, I became aware of an IOA experiment that was experimenting with nanites and their potential medical applications. Upon finding that once the nanites had done their work and discovering there was no way of shutting them down, they decided to end the program and put the person into Witness Protection."

At the mention of nanites, Sheppard really began to give O'Neill his full and undivided attention. He had an idea where this might be heading, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. He asked suspiciously,

"Why are you telling me this sir?" His body language showed that he was getting very interested.

O'Neill took a deep breath. Time to drop the bomb.

"Because the test subject, who supposedly "volunteered", but I suspect was given no real choice in the matter, was Doctor Elizabeth Weir."

Sheppard snorted,

"Impossible, sir. I saw it with my own eyes. Then there was that replicator/clone which said that the real Elizabeth died in 2007."

"John, I'm many things, but a liar isn't one of them. I saw her with my own eyes. She's alive and well. Relatively speaking, of course."

In a deceptively calm voice, he asked him,

"How long have you known about Elizabeth being alive?"

"If I'd known beforehand, I would not have done it. But as much as I regret signing that scrap of paper, it has enabled me to be able to see her and tell you."

Sheppard looked up to meet O'Neill's eyes. Eyes that were not wavering. Eyes which could see a rising anger in the younger man, given away by the tell-tale sign that Sheppard was now gritting his teeth.

He began to pace, letting the news set in a little more. He flashed back to that horrible day…

* * *

><p><em>The mission was turning into a giant clusterfuck. They were barely escaping with their lives. Just as they were about to get to the gate, he noticed Elizabeth pause. In that moment, he knew what she was about to do: Sacrifice herself. <em>

"_Elizabeth, get to the gate, come on!"_

"_John leave, NOW!"_

_They exchanged a look. He saw in her eyes that this was what she wanted. Ronon began to drag him towards the gate. He kept on trying to get the shots off to try and disperse the replicators around Elizabeth. They got to the puddle jumper.__The team braced themselves for death when suddenly the Asuran cruiser is hit by missiles, surprising the team._

_The first thing he asked,_

"_What the hell was that?"_

"_Colonel Sheppard this is the __Apollo__, do you read?"_

"_Colonel Ellis is that you?"_

"_Affirmative, the 302 bay is open and you have permission to come aboard, I suggest you hurry"_

"_Copy that __Apollo__. We're on our way."_

_As he was doing that, McKay said,_

"_Can I add that your timing is pretty damned perfect?"_

_Another familiar voice came over the intercom,_

"_We would have gotten here earlier but we had a little trouble finding Atlantis."_

_That had been one of the few times he'd ever heard the scientist surprised._

"_Sam, is that you?"_

"_It's me Rodney; I'll explain when you get onboard."_

"_Colonel, we lost Doctor Weir on the Replicator planet. Can you lock on her locator beacon and beam her up?"_

"_I'm not picking up any signal." Sam said this sadly._

_Sadness shook the team. John managed to find his voice enough to say,_

"_Copy that."_

_Fifteen hours after that, John was still up. He was doing all his paperwork and then some. He was basically trying to avoid anything that would betray his true emotions. When the door opened he looked up to see Sam. _

"_John you've been up for the past 65 hours. Go back to your quarters and get some sleep. I don't want to see you for the next three days. That is an order."_

_After she left, he figured he'd at least go back to his quarters the long way. Maybe he'd then find something to do that could distract him from the waking nightmare he found himself in._

_As he got close to his quarters, he ran into Ronon. He had a suspicion that the other man had been waiting for him, probably on Sam's orders. While he welcomed him in, he noticed that Ronon had a bottle of Athosian moonshine with him. At least with Ronon there, he wouldn't get emotional._

* * *

><p>Back in Washington, away from those memories, he rounded on O'Neill clenching his fists, with a look of malevolence in his eyes.<p>

"Seven years, Sir? Seven years?" John roared, "You've let them treat her like that for seven years?"

O'Neill sighed, and looked at John warily. At this point, he knew there was very little he could say to John that would convince him that he wasn't a complete jerk.

"I had to follow the official –"He began.

"Screw the official guidelines," He interrupted, "when have they ever stopped you before? I've read your mission reports. And more to the point, this is Elizabeth we're talking about!"

"I know," O'Neill admitted, regretfully, "You should know I have tried to be there for her. And it hasn't been easy."

"My heart bleeds for you, Sir," John said cruelly, "I'm sure Elizabeth's been having the time of her life, shut up in some witness protection unit in the back end of nowhere."

"That was inappropriate of me." O'Neill apologized.

"Inappropriate doesn't even begin to cover what you have done."

"Hey, you might want to remember who you're talking to Sheppard." O'Neill said sharply.

Before Sheppard could get started again, O'Neill said,

"There are two tickets to Sky Harbor in Phoenix on the 0630 flight from Dulles. You don't have to speak to me at all, but if you want to see Elizabeth you're going to have to go on my word which I realize is practically nothing to you at the moment, you'll be there on time for that flight tomorrow."

He could see the fight in Sheppard's eyes die down slightly at the mention of seeing Elizabeth. He calmed down, saying,

"I'll see you at Dulles tomorrow, _Sir"_

After getting the ticket, Sheppard left, slamming the door while doing so. O'Neill finished up his beer thinking,

"_The only reason I kept "official" protocol was for two six year old kids. If he's just mad at me now, he's going to be absolutely livid tomorrow. But that is something she should tell him herself, not me."_


	3. In Lover's Meeting

**Chapter II: In Lover's Meeting.**

**A/N: Hello my readers. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. A huge thank-you to IzzieStar for the help she gave me this chapter. **

**She-Demon**

* * *

><p>0530. Very few people would be awake at this hour of the morning. Except those that had business to deal with like getting on the 0630 Southwest flight to go and see someone you'd thought was dead for the past seven years. And it wasn't just some nameless face for John Sheppard. The face was that of Elizabeth Weir, his former boss and lover.<p>

"_If only my buddies in my Academy class could see me now. John Sheppard, Red Flag extraordinaire, acknowledged ladies man, up at an ungodly hour of the morning to fly halfway across the country to go see the woman that has haunted my dreams"_

While waiting for O'Neill to arrive, he got out an old favorite of his, _Footfall_. He'd finished _War and Peace_ ages ago and he'd just wanted to read something familiar. Even though it looked like he was reading, his mind wasn't remembering, because his thoughts kept on returning to Elizabeth. Even when he abandoned the book in favor of his I-Pod, the songs were shuffling in order to make him remember Elizabeth even more. Cursing under his breath, he put everything away and waited for the plane to start boarding.

About half an hour before the plane left, O'Neill arrived. John barely acknowledged his presence, as he was still particularly upset with the General. He just said,

"Good morning, sir"

O'Neill looked surprised that John was even speaking with him. He acknowledged the greeting with a nod. He also noticed that the eyes of the younger man were bloodshot.

"Did you drink last night, Colonel?"

All he did was roll his eyes at him. O'Neill took that as a big yes.

Before the retired general could say anything, the boarding call went out. As he got onto the airplane, he noticed that while there were plenty of people in line to board; chances were pretty good that he was going to be sitting by himself. Once he got to his seat and put his carryon in the overhead bin, he noticed that fate had kindly seated him as far away from O'Neill as was possible. The last thing he needed right now was to be sat, making small talk with him. As the plane taxied for takeoff, he remembered why he didn't like flying on commercial airlines. He was always uncomfortable because he wasn't the one at the controls. John figured that he would try and get some sleep once they were up in the air. Of course, when that happened, he couldn't get Elizabeth's face and voice out of his mind's eye. He was remembering the ride back to Atlantis from Earth on the Daedelus. They had kept each other company during the journey. It had been just after he'd made Lieutenant Colonel.

"_People were surprised when I made it past captain."_

"_I guess the people that mattered thought you should be promoted."_

Back in the present, he thought,

"_Damn. Won't my mind let me get any kind of rest?"_

* * *

><p>Once they set down in Phoenix, he was getting nervous again. He followed O'Neill to the car rental place. He was told,<p>

"Get as nondescript a car as possible. But you might want a four wheel drive."

John got blue Ford Explorer. Once they were out, O'Neill said to him,

"Sedona's about a two and half hour drive to the north. I'll meet you at the Red Roof Inn. It's the first exit right off I-17 to Sedona."

After arriving in Sedona, John noticed that the air seemed slightly sharper. Once they got to the hotel and O'Neill got the keys to their rooms and tossed him one, he said,

"Why don't you go put your suitcase in your room. After that, I'll give you the address, and then you can leave."

John got to his room and tossed his stuff on the bed. In record time, he was back downstairs in the lobby of the hotel.

"Here is her address John. Go and see her. You two have a lot of catching up to do." After that, he ran to the rental car in haste.

As he watched the younger man leave, O'Neill thought,

"_You're about to get another shock this week, John. Not only is Elizabeth alive, she's the mother of your children."_

* * *

><p>John had to fight the urge to break several speed and traffic laws to get to Liz's place. When a train crossing slowed him, he swore under his breath. Thankfully, it was a relatively short train, so he was on his way again in a short period of time. Shortly before turning off onto the road to her place, he pulled off onto the side of the road and turned off the car.<p>

"_How do you talk to someone you thought was dead for the past seven years? Especially when you were sleeping with that same person for about a year before she "died"?"_

"_Ah hell, I'll just play it by year."_He started up the car again.

He got to the driveway and had to psych himself slightly to get out of the car. Just as he was about to knock on the door he thought,

"_Here it goes"_

When she heard the knock, Elizabeth had been reading _Cosmos_ by Carl Sagan. He was pretty close to the mark for someone who hadn't known about the Stargates. She'd also been scanning a book that Olivia had been reading. It was something about the fighter planes of WW2. She was well on the way to becoming airplane crazy.

"_Olivia got more than the ATA gene from John. She's every bit as flying crazy as he is"_

Whoever was at the door knocked again. She then said impatiently,

"Yes, I'm coming."

Once she got to the door and unlocked it, she was unprepared for who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Hello 'Lizbeth"

It was John Sheppard.

* * *

><p>Seven years hadn't changed him much. There was some silver in his hair. She noticed that he'd made full-bird colonel. Once it registered who was standing on her doorstep, Elizabeth tried to shut the door. Unfortunately, John had other things in mind when he prevented her from doing just that by stopping it with his foot.<p>

"I'm not going away until you talk to me."

After a short staring contest, Elizabeth yanked him inside. Putting a hand over his mouth she dragged him to the door that went down to the basement. She mouthed the word "Bugs" when she saw the questions in his eyes. After that she mouthed,

"I'll talk to you down there, keep quiet."

After he went down the stairs, she went and checked on the kids. They were both appeared to be sleeping soundly, though she suspected John Jr. might be playing possum. She then grabbed some bottles of water.

As she started down the stairs, Elizabeth thought,

"_How do I talk to John? I haven't seen or spoken to him in seven years. I never expected to see him again. Moreover, how do I tell him that he's the father of six year old twins?"_

* * *

><p>Elizabeth had never dealt with such an awkward silence. She'd had some good ones with the man sitting across from her on the other couch. He'd been her second in command, lover, and was the father of her children.<p>

After about five minutes, John was visibly getting nervous. He broke the silence first by asking,

"So… Who do you have to thank for the bugs?"

"The IOA. Pretty much anything I say or do upstairs, they know about it. The only place that I have any kind of privacy is down here."

"At least it's a pretty good sized basement. You seem to have created a whole other living space sown here."

Another uncomfortable silence followed. They didn't seem to know how to ask the questions they both wanted to ask.

"What do you do to occupy your time?"

"Run a book club. That's all that the IOA will let me do."

"That sounds like fun." He said with his awkwardness showing through.

She smiled slightly before saying,

"There are other things to do around Sedona. I've found some other hobbies to do"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the main level…<p>

John Jr. was trying to wake up his twin sister.

"Liv. Livie. 'Livia. Hey Olivia, WAKE UP!" then he threw a pillow at her head.

This finally woke her up. She was not a morning person. Olivia then said,

"Go away! I'm gonna tell Mom!"

Ignoring her, he said,

"Mom's downstairs talking with someone. Don't you want to hear what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Olivia jumped up out of bed. Both kids were wearing Phoenix Coyotes jerseys and soccer shorts as pajamas.

Moving as quietly as possible, the siblings made their way to the door to the basement which was opened slightly. They sat down and started to listen.

Since being quiet was key whenever they listened to their mother downstairs, both of them had quickly learned how to lip read.

"So who do you think mom's talking to Liv?"

"I don't know, she's talking to someone she used to work with, someone with your name."

They were silent for the rest of the conversation. As they listened, the twins noticed that their mom hadn't yet mentioned them. John Jr then asked,

"Why hasn't mom said anything about us?"

"I don't know! Be quiet!"

Unfortunately that area by the stairs was uncommonly dusty. As he made that noise people make before they sneeze, Olivia covered her brother's mouth with her hand. She mouthed,

"You better not sneeze, little brother." He nodded his assent.

Of course, no sooner did Olivia remove her hand from his mouth he sneezed.

She glared daggers at him. He smiled weakly.

Back downstairs…

* * *

><p>John heard the sneeze. It didn't sound like a human sneeze. It sounded more like the sneeze of a cat.<p>

"Got animals in the house, Elizabeth?"

Unlike him, Elizabeth knew _exactly_ what, more accurately who, had made that noise.

She got up and was walking towards the stairs.

"It depends on your definition of animals, John."

Once she got to the bottom of the stairs, she said,

"I see you two! Now get down here, on the double!"

She turned back to him and asked,

"How much did O'Neill tell you?"

"Just that you were alive, Elizabeth. What else us there that I need to know?"

He then noticed two small kids at the foot of the stairs. They couldn't have been more than six. The girl had dark brown hair in a style similar to Elizabeth's, but slightly messier. She also had Elizabeth's bright green eyes. The boy had the same dark brown hair, but it was tousled in the back with hazel eyes. His eyes.

He looked at Elizabeth.

"O'Neill obviously planned on letting me tell you this. John you're a father. And these are your children."

He couldn't think of a word to say. He was thunderstruck.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: Please don't string me up for the cliffhanger. There is a good reason that I'm making you wait for the reactions. Tell me how you guys think the rest of the introduction should go and if there's one that I like, I'll use it and put you in the next chapter's first author's note. **


	4. Telling a Story

**Chapter III: Telling a Story**

**A/N: This chapter was interesting to write. Black widow mistress and IzzieStar shout outs go to them for helping big time. I own nothing except for John Jr and Olivia. Tearjerker warning for this chapter. Enjoy! She-Demon**

* * *

><p><em>Previously on The World Goes On…<em>

"_How much did O'Neill tell you?"_

"_Just that you were alive. What else is there that I need to know?"_

_He then noticed two small kids at the foot of the stairs. They couldn't have been more than six. The girl had dark brown hair in a style similar to Elizabeth's, but slightly messier. She also had Elizabeth's bright green eyes. The boy had the same dark brown hair, but it was tousled in the back with hazel eyes. His eyes._

_He looked at Elizabeth._

"_O'Neill obviously planned on letting me tell you this. John you're a father. And these are your children."_

_He couldn't think of a word to say. He was thunderstruck._

* * *

><p>They stared at each other for about a minute before John Jr asked while giggling nervously,<p>

"Are you joking Mommy?"

Olivia on the other hand, had a more serious question which affected her father more.

"Where have you been?"

Still able to read John like a book, with a knot growing in her stomach, Elizabeth could tell that he was just about to explode with both anger and questions. Knowing that distracting the kids would be a very good idea, she said

"John, Olivia, go upstairs. I'll be right behind you."

As they noisily made their way back up the stairs, Elizabeth looked back at him. His eyes were turning dark with rage.

Once she got the kids upstairs and got them some breakfast, she told them,

"You can go eat outside" and as they scurried outside in their excitement, she said, "Water the plants while, you're at it."

Once they were outside and shut the door, Elizabeth listened to them jabber together in their twinspeak. They were six years old and they hardly did that anymore, except when they were very excited. Today was one of those days.

Stopping her musing, Elizabeth made her way back downstairs.

"_This is going to be fun"_

Once she got back downstairs, John was pacing like a caged tiger. His eyes seemed to have gone back to his regular hazel, but they were still flinty.

"How did they happen?"

Trying to inject some humor into the situation, she said

"I'm pretty sure you know how _that_ happened, John"

The look on his face showed that he didn't appreciate the attempt at some humor.

"What I meant was _when_ did they happen?"

She'd known that had been what he'd meant. She might as well start at the beginning.

"Remember our last night together?"

His eyes widened in comprehension. Both of them flashed back to that night…

* * *

><p><em>Although Teyla has told her to get some rest, she was still pacing in exactly the same way she had been in her office. If they got through this, which wasn't looking all too likely at the moment, she was seriously going to have to reconsider her position – she had just about had enough of the military taking over – even ignoring John – and screwing up every time they did.<em>

_The door slid open to reveal John looking anxiously at her. He immediate went over to her and wrapped his arms around her, but she pushed him away._

_'Hey, are you okay?' He asked._

_'What do you think?' She snapped._

_'Look, I know things are looking bad, but...'_

_'But what? They don't just look bad, they are bad John. And once again I've been completely bypassed.' _

_'I talked to Ellis.'_

_She looked at him for the first time, 'And?'_

_His guilty expression gave it away and she laughed bitterly. _

_'So do you want me to clear my office for you now, or shall I wait just in case we all get killed first?'_

_'How can you say that?' He asked, anger starting to rise._

_Struck by the tone of his voice, Elizabeth looked up into his eyes which reflected the mixture of anger and remorse that were in her own. Unable to maintain eye contact, her eyes slipped to his lips, the way they were so resolutely closed, the fullness of the bottom lip...struck by a wave of desire she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him angrily. He roughly pushed her onto the bed, hitting her head on the wall which seemed to bring him to his senses and he pulled away._

_'This is...' He began._

_'Just make love to me.' _

_Unable to resist such a plea, his lips met hers again._ _Elizabeth arched her back as his fingers skimmed across her hips and while his lips and mouth worked her neck making their way down to her shoulder eliciting a small moan from her as he gently scraped his teeth across the delicate skin. Her hands had made their way to into his hair where she was fisting small handfuls of hair. Neither of them stopped to think about protection._

* * *

><p>Back to the present…<p>

"So it was that night?"

"How else do you think they survived John?"

With the technicalities out of the way, John was unable to control his anger any longer.

"What is this Elizabeth? Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to keep them thinking whatever story you told them? What story did you tell them? Did you tell them I was dead? Gone? Abandoned them? Because I sure as hell didn't do anything like that Elizabeth! I would have been there for you! Six years Elizabeth and you couldn't even call me!"

"I never expected to see you again, John. The story that I told them was that you were MIA overseas. And how could I tell you when I couldn't even contact you? I was told by the IOA that if I ever tried to contact you, they'd take John and Olivia away from me and that you would also have trouble from them. It's not my fault; all four of us are victims of the IOA!" She was barely suppressing her tears, her eyes obviously shining.

"It's always the IOA isn't it Liz, it's always the same excuse with you, do you have any idea how I feel about this? To know that General O'Neill of all people knew about my children before I did! Who else knows? Are there others that knew you were here? That you had my kids here with you? Six years is a long time Elizabeth, I mourned for you because I loved you, but all you ever do is look out for yourself, you could have put up a fight y'know, you could have tried to get out and to be away from their control."

Now _her_ ire rose. How dare he assume that she was thinking only of herself!

"You have _no_ idea what I've been through John Sheppard. You think it was _easy_ going through that alone, without any of your friends to be there for you? Do think I _enjoyed _being a test guinea pig for the IOA? Do you think that I _liked _the prospect of raising our children on my own and the only way I could tell them about you was through stories, and in those stories I couldn't even tell them your name, for fear of them being taken away from me! 'I'm being pedantic though - clearly you have been living your life with me in your every thought, devoting your whole life to my memory. No? I didn't think so"

"I never stopped thinking about you Elizabeth, but when we got that replicator that said that the real Elizabeth… You I guess… had died back in 2007."

They seemed to have run out of steam for their arguing. Then in a calm manner he said,

"Despite all that's happened they seemed to have turned out pretty well and a credit to you, even without me being around."

"That can be changed. You're here now. Come on upstairs, they should be done eating."

* * *

><p>While Elizabeth was right about the kids being done eating, she was wrong about what they were doing afterwards. They were supposed to be watering the plants but, like all small children tend to do, they got easily distracted.<p>

Olivia was watering the plants with one of the water buckets. When she heard a snicker behind her, Olivia turned to see her brother smirking evilly and fiddling with thing on the hose that changed the pressure of the water. Realizing what he was about to do she said,

"Don't you Daaarrree!" she squealed as the hose blasted her with a torrent of water.

Once that ceased, she was glaring daggers at her brother, who was laughing uncontrollably at her and her stringy wet hair. She then decided to take advantage of his hysterics and turned the tables on him by blasting him with the hose herself. When he got up spluttering, she smirked at him.

"Don't start something you can't finish, little brother."

"Be careful of what you say Livie."

The water fight was on. They were wrestling for the hose and whenever they got their hands on it, the one who had the hose would drench the other. What they didn't realize that by now, their parents were up from the basement. Towards the end of the fight, Olivia pinned her brother.

"Pinned ya"

They began wrestling for the hose again with the same results.

"Pinned ya again" They broke apart. They circled each other with the hose in the middle. Unfortunately, it was John Jr with the hose. He'd managed to sneak behind a bush and hide the hose with him which he'd already turned off. He called out,

"'Livia, truce?"

This was enough to get his sister out from her hiding place. Once she was in the clear, he turned on the hose to the highest pressure he could handle and he sprayed her with the torrent of water. After turning off the water, he went over to her and asked,

"You yield?"

Olivia gave him her best glare, but she knew when she was beaten.

"Of course. You win"

He offered a hand to help her up. When she grabbed his hand, he was unprepared for Olivia to yank him down. The opportunity was too much to resist.

"You still win, but the timing was perfect." While they were just beginning to pick everything up, Olivia noticed that they had an audience. She turned the color of her maroon shirt.

"Uhhhh, John…"

"What Liv?"

"We have an audience and I don't know how long they've been here." Her brother's face also flushed maroon.

As their parents walked over, they immediately began to,

"She started it!"

"He started it!"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Quit bickering both of you. After he helps dry you off, he will be leaving."

Two pairs of eyes turned to him.

"Are you gonna come back?"

"Yes I will. I promise."

As Elizabeth went inside for more towels, she paused by the window and watched the scene. She had never thought that she would get to see this, John with their children.

Especially during that first Christmas in witness protection.

* * *

><p><em>Try to imagine a house that's not a home<em>

_Try to imagine a Christmas all alone_

_That's where I'll be_

_Since you left me_

_My tears would melt the snow_

_What can I do?_

_Without you_

_I've got no place, no place to go_

"I don't have to imagine a Christmas all alone, because I'm living it right now!"

It was Christmas Eve 2007. It was snowing so it fit Elizabeth's gloomy mood. One year ago, she'd been in a different galaxy. One year ago she'd been with her friends. One year ago she'd been with a man, a man that had driven her mad with her love for him as she did with his love for her.

Now, a year later she was back in the Milky Way. She was also forbidden from contacting any of her friends. She was _especially_ forbidden to contact John; much less tell him that she was going to have his children. Sometime in early to mid February to be exact.

"_There'd be some irony, the twins being born on Valentine's Day."_

_It'll be lonely this Christmas _

_Without you to hold_

_It'll be lonely this Christmas_

_Lonely and cold_

_It'll be cold so cold_

_Without you to hold_

_This Christmas_

_Each time I remember the day you went away_

_And how I would listen to things you have to say_

_I just break down, as I look around_

_And the only things I see_

_Are emptiness and loneliness_

_And an unlit Christmas tree_

At least she was allowed to enjoy some of the season's festivities. She did have Christmas tree, but like in the song it was unlit. She hadn't felt too festive all month. Because she was waiting for news. News that concerned her children and whether she'd be allowed to keep them.

"_And what would be the plans of the IOA for them, if they decide that I can't keep them? I'm not sure I want to know. Most of them just see the three of us as a science experiment. Most of those in that category just see me and the kids as freaks of nature. Some I think even consider us to be abominations."_

She rubbed her tummy thinking,

"_You guys are not abominations or freaks of nature. Do not let anyone tell you any differently"_

When she got up to get the hot chocolate, she heard the last words of the song,

_Merry Christmas darlin', wherever you are_

"Merry Christmas John, wherever you are."

* * *

><p>Back to the present…<p>

After they'd finished getting the kids dried off, John got ready to leave. He noticed that Elizabeth was fidgeting nervously. He asked,

"What is it 'Lizabeth?"

"I hope we haven't scared you away."

Smiling, he looked her straight in the eyes.

"You kidding? I've got six years of catching up to do-try keeping me away."

What she did next surprised him. She gave him a look that he hadn't seen in a long time, directed at him. She was happy. Probably happier than she'd been in a very long time. He knew that he was feeling the same way.

Once he left, he knew he had to get some business done. There were two people he needed to call.

"_I probably should wait until I get back to the hotel. Both of them are going to think that I've gone insane; or on drugs."_

* * *

><p>Once he got back to the hotel, he went straight to his room. He hadn't seen O'Neill yet, but he still wanted to give him a wide berth.<p>

"_Which one to call first? Carson would be the better choice, and given his unique experience especially with that whole "second take" on life that they both have gotten. I probably should warn Liz about Carson, because as far as she knows, he's dead. Boy oh boy, Rodney is probably going to have a heart attack." _

He dialed the familiar cell phone number. Carson was working at the SGC, because he was considered to be "dead". He didn't get to leave very often, (again thanks to the damn IOA) but he could leave for short periods of time, and was allowed to see those that didn't know he was dead in the first place. He'd have to tell him about Liz being alive.

"_But leave the kids out. I'm still trying to process that myself, I'm not going to try and explain it to someone else before I process it all."_

After a few rings Carson answered with,

"Hi John, what going on?"

Now that he had gotten a hold of him, John became very nervous. How did he know that Carson's phone wasn't tapped?

"Just was calling to talk. I haven't done that in a while so I figured I'd do that. How are you doing?"

Carson, with the sixth sense that came with being a doctor, could tell that John was dancing around telling him something very important.

"I'm doing fine John. What's going on? You sound like you're trying to tap dance in a minefield."

After a few deep breaths, John asked,

"Are you sitting down Carson?"

"I am now. What is it?"

"Elizabeth's alive and living in Sedona Arizona."

There was silence on the other end of the line. He was surprised that Carson hadn't immediately questioned his sanity.

"Are you sure? How did you find out, lad?"

"I heard it from General O'Neill. Then I came here along with him. I saw her with my own eyes and talked to her. She's alive and it's her."

"How did she survive?"

"Apparently the Asurans didn't kill her right away. They were doing some experiments when she was, and I use this term loosely, rescued by an IOA contingent. Then they began their own set of tests on her because of the nanites. During the course of their experiments, the IOA found that the nanites could not be used for anything else once activated. Naturally, they decided that she should remain in hiding. It's been six years."

"God's Truth. I thought that what the bastards are doing to me was bad, keeping her away from the ones she loves the most is even worse."

John then thought,

"_That's only half of it Carson. What I'm not telling you is that not only is Elizabeth alive, she has two children, and they're mine."_

"I was wondering, given your unique experience on the whole second take on life thing, you could come and possibly talk to her. Maybe an old friend could be of some comfort."

"I'll leave as soon as I can get a ticket. Sky Harbor in Phoenix is the closest airport to Sedona correct?"

"Yes Carson, thank you."

"I'll call you when I'm at the airport. Are you going to call Rodney?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd call him after you. Talk to you later."

After John disconnected the call, he got up and got a glass of water. He knew that his conversation with Rodney could run long. When he finished, he picked up his phone and dialed the number. When he heard the phone pick up, he said,

"So how's my favorite physicist?"

"What do you want Sheppard?"

"Just checking up on a friend."

John could tell that Rodney was getting annoyed with him.

"I'm fine and I have work to do."

John could also tell that he was getting ready to hang up.

"Okay, okay" and before Rodney could hang up, he said,

"Then I suppose you don't want to see Doctor Weir again?"

He heard a spit take, some spluttering, and several curses.

"You better have a good reason for saying that, Sheppard; I just spat coffee all over my computer!"

John couldn't help laughing for a few moments at the image. When he got control of himself again, he said

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Of course I heard what you said. Are you out of your mind? Who told you? What about that replicator that said that the real Elizabeth was dead?"

"To your first question, no I am not out of my mind. The answer to the second question is General O'Neill told me. Apparently he's known for the past seven years. And as for that replicator, I don't know about that one, maybe they thought that since I was looking for her, maybe they'd be able to find her before me."

Rodney was silent for a few moments, which was a miracle in of itself. He then said,

"I suppose I should head out there Sheppard. Where are you?"

"I'm in Sedona. It's about two and a half hours north of Phoenix on I-17. I'll pick you up when your flight arrives tomorrow. By the way Carson's heading out here as well."

"You told him first?" Rodney whined.

When he was about to hang up, Rodney said,

"When I get there, I am going to check your pockets for hallucinogens. And if I find any, you will be paying for my flight!"

After he hung up, there was a knock on the door. When he got up and looked through the peephole, it was O'Neill.

"I know you're in there Colonel, I heard you talking."

John rolled his eyes. He opened the door.

Without asking if he could come in, O'Neill made himself comfortable on the couch, stretching his legs out, he asked,

"Who were you talking to?"

"I just finished up talking with Rodney. Before him, I talked with Carson. I thought that I should probably let them know straight away that Elizabeth isn't dead." John said, with a pointed look.

O'Neill looked up to meet John's eyes, but was completely unfazed by the anger in them.

"What?"

"With all due respect sir, you know full well what. There were a few things you left out when you gave me that bomb drop yesterday."

O'Neill smiled slightly to himself before looking back at John to measure his reaction.

"Well you weren't exactly in the talking mood as I recall. How are you enjoying life as a Father?"

Seeing the benign amusement in O'Neill face, John began to feel his temper rise again – the fact that he hadn't been allowed to see his children for six years of his life and, more to the point, didn't even know that they existed was far from amusing to him.

"I haven't exactly had time to adjust the idea yet, _Sir._' John said, callously.

O'Neill rolled his eyes, "Look I'm not exactly number one on your Christmas card list at the moment..."

"You're not even on my Christmas card list at the moment." John cut in.

O'Neill was completely unfazed by this and continued, "but you could at least crack a smile – you've got two great kids and Elizabeth's alive. Now, do you want to get some dinner Sheppard? There is a great little steak joint in town."

The fact that O'Neill had had the chance to work out where was good to eat in town didn't go unnoticed by Sheppard and, if anything, soured his opinion of the General even more.

"I'm fine."

"Don't make me order you Colonel – you're going to need all the energy you can get with those two."

Almost managing a smile, John followed O'Neill out of the room.

"_Okay, in the past 48 hours many things have changed for me. One is that Elizabeth is alive. That was enough of a shock. Today I found out, that not only is she alive, she's the mother of my children. The IOA have a lot to answer for, and I'm not going to stop until those that need to be punished are punished and I'm going to get both Elizabeth and the kids back."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: So… What did you guys think? I couldn't have John being the only one getting some sympathy! Tell me what you think by pressing the little blue button. It makes updates come faster!**


	5. Carson and McKay

**Chapter IV: Carson and McKay**

**A/N: Again I have to thank Izzie Star for help with this chapter. Black Widow Mistress also provided inspiration. Enjoy the chapter! She-Demon**

* * *

><p>1645 hours, Sky Harbor Airport, Phoenix, AZ<p>

After spending most of the day getting familiar with Sedona, John had to head back down to Phoenix to pick up Rodney and Carson. Even though he hadn't invited him along, O'Neill drove down to Phoenix. He'd said,

"Colonel, if I come along you will not have to split your attention between driving and answering all of the questions. You need to rest. I imagine that both Rodney and Carson have _a lot_ of questions to ask you."

So he'd slept for most of the two and a half hour drive. John hated to admit it, but O'Neill was right: His kids were little beams of energy that never seemed to stop moving.

Once they'd arrived at the airport, all they had to do was wait for the planes to arrive.

When Carson and Rodney arrived, John got a surprise. The first thing Rodney did was frisk his pockets. Shoving him away he asked,

"What the hell are you doing Rodney?"

"Checking your pockets for hallucinogens; alright where are they?"

"I dinnae think he's on drugs. He doesn't look like he's on them."

John then gave Rodney a look that basically said "Ha". As they headed back to the car, he heard Rodney say to Carson,

"I'm still going to check his room when we get there."

Once they got to the car and loaded the luggage into the back, and were on their way, Rodney asked,

"So where is she? Why isn't she with us right now?"

John took a deep steadying breath. He knew that Rodney was going to be a tough sell until he saw her with his own eyes.

"She has some stuff to take care of in Sedona, so she was unable to come along with us to pick you guys up."

Rodney rolled his eyes with a great deal of cynicism. He then said,

"I am sure that there is a totally logical explanation for all this, not that anything that happens to you is logical, Sheppard."

After Rodney said that, O'Neill without taking his eyes off the road said,

"Doctor McKay, if you want me to turn around and take you back to the airport, just say the word."

Seeing that Rodney was about to make a snarky reply, Carson interrupted.

"Look everyone's probably tired from the recent events. I know I am. Let's get to wherever we're going, and then we can get ready to go see Elizabeth tomorrow."

He looked between Rodney, John, and O'Neill silently asking them to wait to have their argument until they got to Sedona and out of the car.

Once they got to Sedona it was about 19:30. When they got back to the hotel from dinner, it was 20:45.

As they got into the parking lot, Rodney as he yawned said,

"You know, I'm going to go and get some sleep."

The other three men rolled their eyes. Rodney was never much of a night owl except when it came to working on one of his projects. And since he was convinced that John had finally gone over the edge into insanity, he planned on going to sleep quickly.

At around 23:00, pretty much everyone was back in their rooms and in bed. But sleep was still difficult to come by for John so he was watching TV.

When he heard the knock on the door he thought,

"_That better not be O'Neill. I don't feel like talking to him at the moment."_

"Hey, John; do you have a moment?" He heard Carson say on the other side.

After he let the Scottish doctor in, Carson stated,

"You've had quite the week haven't you?"

"You have no idea, Carson."

"Enlighten me." Carson made himself comfortable on the couch

At that, John started to fidget. How could he tell Carson that he had two kids _with_ Elizabeth, when he was still getting used to the idea itself.

"I'll start at the beginning. First I find out after all this time, Elizabeth's alive. She had somehow been rescued from the Asurans by an IOA contingent. Apparently they wanted to see what the nanites could do after they'd finished the healing job; to see if they could be used again. When they found out that they were not going to work for anyone else, they put Liz in hiding about seven years ago."

"And you just found this out?"

"Yes. O'Neill told me three days ago. Apparently he's known that Elizabeth's been alive all along. And he didn't say a word."

Carson thought it over. John was pissed that he hadn't been told right away. He then said.

"General O'Neill must have had a good reason, whatever it was."

As he was about to say he didn't think that anything the IOA made him sign would've held him, he realized something. O'Neill _did_ have a good reason for keeping his mouth shut. Maybe the reasons that he'd kept his mouth shut for so long were the kids.

Carson noticed that John was deep in thought, he got up to leave. But before he left he asked.

"How's Elizabeth doing?"

John didn't seem to hear his question. But when he got to the door, John replied,

"She's doing great. As great as she can get being forced into hiding and being told that she couldn't contact anyone from her previous life."

"I can see why they wouldn't want that. You probably would've come after her. Is that everything?"

Carson then noticed that John was fidgeting.

"I'll take that as a no."

"You might want to sit down for what I'm going to tell you."

Once Carson sat down, he noticed that John was looking at him uneasily. He said,

"I haven't been entirely upfront with you. It's not just Elizabeth that the IOA have been hiding-she… we have two kids."

The look on Carson's face was one of pleasant surprise. After thinking it over for about five minutes, he said,

"Well I wasn't expecting that- congratulations. How long have you known for?"

"Approximately 48 hours, maybe a little less. O'Neill's known for sure that they're mine for about 3 years."

"You met them yet?"

"Yes. They were having a water fight. My son won, but my daughter had the last move and pulled him down."

"I take it your son is named after you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess; and your daughter?"

"Her name is Olivia."

"She's probably going to wind up looking a lot like her mother when she's older."

"Why should she wait? She already looks like a six year old version of Elizabeth."

Carson smirked at the thought. John, noticing Carson's crooked grin asked with narrowing eyes, asked,

"What's so funny?"

Snickering, Carson still with a smile on his face, replied,

"She's going to be the little heartbreaker, isn't she?"

Carson then heard John say gruffly,

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Carson then decided that it might be wise for him to leave. He said,

"'Night John."

All he got was a nod for a reply as he left.

As he walked back to his room he thought,

"_It's amazing at how fast the worrying starts."_

* * *

><p>The next morning 0645…<p>

Jack O'Neill had many things planned for the coming day. All of them did _not _involve being waked up at the crack of dawn by Rodney McKay. Only one scientist got to do that to him and got away with it.

"Come on O'Neill, wake up. Don't you and John have something to show us?"

Growling he said,

"Doctor McKay, only one scientist gets to wake me up at this hour. And you're not her. I am a general in the United States Air Force; I am armed at all times."

That was apparently enough to get the man to leave. O'Neill got up and mentally grumbled,

"_I might as well get up. Because once I'm awake, I'm awake."_

Outside Carson's room about 5 minutes later, Rodney was doing the same thing. Carson said rather venomously through the door,

"I'm already bloody awake Rodney! Stop that or you'll wake up the whole damn hotel!"

When he got to John's room, Rodney pounded on the door and said,

"C'mon Sheppard get up, don't you have something to show Carson and I today?"

"I know I do. Now go away before I decide to shoot you!"

"You wouldn't…" Rodney then booked it back to his room as he heard the racking of the Berretta.

John then said with a smirk,

"Works every time!"

After getting dressed, John headed downstairs for breakfast. When he got down there he noticed two visibly irritated people: O'Neill and Carson. When he sat down he asked,

"So did you guys also get the 'Rodney McKay' wakeup call?"

Judging from the look on O'Neill's face as he drank his coffee and the look on Carson's, the answers from both of them would be a resounding yes.

"Though I was already awake, I still dinnae appreciate the noise he was making."

O'Neill asked,

"From what I've heard, Doctor McKay usually isn't much of a morning person. Why would he be now?"

Carson and John looked at each other. They both knew the answer well. Carson replied first by saying,

"There are two reasons why Rodney gets up early on occasion. One of the reasons is if he's working on an important project."

"And the second reason?"

John finished with,

"The second reason is because he wants to see someone being proved wrong."

O'Neill rolled his eyes. He'd figured that McKay would be a tough sell. And that was without bringing the kids into the picture. He had a feeling that Rodney would be biting his tongue when he found who "Dad" was.

When Rodney came strutting in, he noticed that the other three were pointedly ignoring him. He asked John,

"You weren't really going to shoot me were you?"

"I hadn't decided yet."

They finished their breakfast in silence.

Once they got outside and to the car, John turned to Rodney and said,

"There's one more thing you need to know Rodney about Elizabeth."

Rodney sarcastically said,

"What could be a bigger surprise than Elizabeth being alive?"

When all he got was silence, Rodney looked from John, to Carson, to O'Neill, then back at John again. He then asked suspiciously,

"Is she a replicator hell bent on domination?"

"No Rodney, she's not a replicator. In fact, she's got two kids and I'm the father."

Rodney mulled it over for a few seconds when what John said really hit him. He eyes went wide he said,

"'You Kirked it up with Elizabeth? Is there anybody you didn't sleep with in the Pegasus galaxy?"

Everyone around him gave him looks that could've melted titanium. John then said to him in a deadly calm voice,

"I skipped you."

After a few minutes of glaring at each other, John said,

"Want to meet them? I was going to pick them up and bring them here, so we can talk more freely."

"Why can't we go straight there?"

"This is for Elizabeth and the kids. Not you."

After he left, O'Neill thought,

"_Oh boy, I can't wait to see the look on McKay's face when he sees all three of them."_

* * *

><p>Just like the time before, John drove like a madman to get to Elizabeth's house. But unlike the time before, he didn't break as many traffic laws in order to get there. He couldn't wait to see the looks on Carson and Rodney's faces when they saw all three of them.<p>

He got out of the car and figured that he'd have to make his presence known quietly. It _was_ early and the kids were probably still asleep. Elizabeth's sleeping habits had most likely changed in the past six years, but was most likely still an early bird.

He tapped on the door and heard soft footsteps before it opened and he was faced with Elizabeth. Her jaw-dropped slightly as she processed that he was stood on her doorstep at this early hour before she re-arranged her features into a smile in the hope that it would distract from the blush that was rising in her cheeks, embarrassed that she had allowed herself to let John see her like this.

John noticed the blush and smiled to himself. She had always looked amazing without make-up, despite what she was clearly thinking, and the rumpled hair was a poignant memory of waking up with her at four am before sneaking back to his quarters.

'John.' She said.

'Hey. Just wondering if you had any plans for today?'

Elizabeth smiled bitterly, 'No.'

'Well the hotel that I'm staying at has this great pool and I thought maybe it would be a nice place to start some Daddy bonding time.'

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him, 'Daddy bonding time?'

'Hey – I'm new to this.' He said defensively, but Elizabeth noted the twinkle in his eyes.

'So you want to take the kids swimming? They should be okay with that and it'll be nice just to sit back and relax with a book while you're out.'

'Whoa – you're not getting out of this one. I've got something for you too.'

'What?'

'You'll have to come with me.'

'John.' Elizabeth said warningly.

'I'll go wait in the car.' John said with a smirk, turning his back on her.

Elizabeth's first thought after he went to the car was,

"_Some things never change. Impossible man!"_

Once she got to John and Olivia's room, Elizabeth got a small surprise. Both of them were already awake, dressed, and had their swimming stuff packed. She had expected them to still asleep. They'd obviously been listening to the conversation.

"This listening into my conversations is starting to get repetitive kids - don't make it a habit."

Both of them still had smiles on their faces, even though they knew they were being chastised.

"Go downstairs; I have a few things to get myself. And wait in the living room!"

When Elizabeth and the twins finally made their way into the car, the atmosphere was tense to say the least. Pulling out from the house, John considered putting the radio on, but he knew that would all but end his chance of chatting to the kids before they'd be back at the end of the hotel and the pool would seem so much more attractive to them. He _did_ talking; it was one of his best assets, so why did it suddenly seem so hard?

For ten minutes, they silence continued John anxiously checking the rear-view mirror to see the blank impressions on his children's faces. He still couldn't quite believe that he was a father – despite the obvious similarities staring him back in the face. Pulling onto the I-17, he was suddenly struck by a wave of inspiration and pressed the accelerator taking them just far enough over the speed limit for him not to be caught, but to try and get something out of his kids.

'John.' Elizabeth said warningly.

'It's fun, isn't it kids?' He said, checking the rear view mirror.

Both Olivia and John Jr's faces had been transformed into big grins and they were nodding enthusiastically. Spurred on, he pressed they accelerator even harder.

'Stop it!' Elizabeth said.

'No!' Olivia pleaded.

'Mommy always drives slowly!' John Jr chirped up.

'I drive sensibly.' Elizabeth said, sternly.

'Now when I'm flying, that is fun and fast.' John said.

Both kids exchanged an excited glance, before turning to look at John with eager faces.

'Have you ever flown a rocket?' John Jr asked.

'Or a plane?' Olivia chirped up.

John couldn't suppress his pleasure in finally having something to bond with his kids over and smiled at their reflections in the mirror.

'When I used to work with your Mommy, I got to fly these cool little ships called jumpers -'

'Jumpers?' John Jr interjected.

'Yes, jumpers. I named them myself. Well, they really were cool; they could turn invisible, and they could go even faster than a plane.'

'Wow.' John Jr said.

'Did you go into space?' Olivia asked, 'I want to go into space when I grow up.'

'You mean be an astronaut, sweetie.' Elizabeth said.

'I used to go into space all of the time – there's nothing better than flying through open space staring out at the stars.'

'Can you take us?' John Jr asked.

John looked at Elizabeth, but she gave him a look which deliberately left him to answer this question himself.

'One day maybe, but you've already got your swimming stuff now so it would be real shame to waste it.'

Beside him, from the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth smile to herself and, somehow, he felt like he'd passed some sort of fatherhood test.

"_Just wait and see who's here to see you."_

Once they got to the hotel and parked, John turned to Elizabeth saying,

"Now that we're here, I'm going to cover your eyes."

"John…" Elizabeth warned.

"Trust me?" he asked with the puppy eyes that he knew she couldn't resist.

She looked at him for a few moments, trying to resist. If his kids were good at the puppy eye look, John was even better. She nodded, and made sure that the twins were out of the car. Once all that was taken care of, she let John cover her eyes and walk her towards the entrance. Their kids were jabbering in their twinspeak.

No sooner did they get near the pool, John's jealousy spiked again when his kids yelled happily,

"Uncle Jack!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: A cliffhanger here was what was thought to be a good idea. Again please don't string me up. Reviews with ideas as to how the reunion can go make the next update come a lot faster! **


	6. For Want of Attention

**Chapter V: For Want of Attention**

**A/N: This is a filler chapter. That is why it is shorter than the others. This chapter is dedicated to IzzieStar who is going through a rough patch right now.**

* * *

><p>Elizabeth felt the hands over her eyes twitch as John observed the...<em>his...<em>two children run into the arms of another man. With a big grin on his face, Jack lifted both the kids into the air.

'Hey twinnies. You got your swimming stuff? He asked.

'I've got my dinosaur trunks!' John Junior said eagerly.

'Dinosaur trunks, hey? I hope you guys have been practicing because I'm planning on a few races today.'

'You're too old to race!' Olivia squealed.

Jack chuckled fondly, 'Too old? You're too smart for your own good kiddo.'

He put both children down and they took his hands and they made their way over to their parents and Carson and Rodney, who was stood awkwardly, with a jug of water, trying to look at anything other than the reminder that John and Elizabeth had been...well it didn't even bare thinking about really!

'Who are you?' Olivia asked Rodney.

'He's a waiter, stupid. Look he's bringing us drinks.' John Junior interjected.

'Oh great, its mini-Kirk and Kirkette.' Rodney said, rolling his eyes.

As the realization of John's surprise hit her, Elizabeth tried to suppress the smile that was forming around her mouth.

'Hello Rodney. Do I need to remind you that those are _my _children that you are referring to so candidly?'

* * *

><p>The first thing John Junior did when they were all dressed was push the patiently waiting Olivia into the swimming pool and then bomb into himself. John chuckled as he realized just how much like him his son was; pushing Dave into a swimming pool was exactly the sort of thing he would have done when he was seven. Deep down, he knew that he should have reprimanded his son for doing that to Olivia, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.<p>

Once Jack had joined them, they sat about playing with the beach ball which John has managed to charm out of one of the waitresses. Bored of just throwing the ball between them, Jack devised a game which would see them split into two teams and have to hit the other team's side of the pool with the ball. As soon as Jack suggested it, John Junior gravitated towards his father, who he observed to be the younger, more athletic man and John happily picked him up and put him on his shoulders pleased to have been favored over Jack. Not willing to put up a fight in front of John, Olivia swam over to Jack who high-fived her.

'We're gonna beat you!' John Junior said in a sing-song voice.

'No you're not!' Olivia replied, throwing the ball at her brother's head.

Catching the ball on the rebound, Jack effortlessly flicked the ball against the side of the pool that father and son were supposed to be defending and the game was on. John Junior immediately launched himself back into the water, grabbed the ball and tried to swim past Olivia who was having none of it and jumped on her brother's back. Seeing that John Junior was struggling to breathe Jack grabbed Olivia and pulled her off him.

'Now there's no need to resort to violence Olivia. I'm sure you can tactically out maneuver him if you put your mind to it.' Jack said, with a wink.

Seeing that the opposition were distracted, John Junior threw the ball to his father who flipped the ball over Jack's head and straight onto the other side of the pool. Pleased to have out-smarted Olivia, John Junior bounced up with his arms in the air cheering. Jack spotted the ball bouncing alone in the water and made towards it, but John was too quick for him and twisted into a back stroke to claim the ball and score his second goal. This time, John Junior didn't cheer. Instead, he sidled up to his father.

'That was so cool! How do I swim like that?' He asked, with wide-eyed amazement.

'You wanna learn back stroke? I can show you, if you'd like?' John said, with a strange warm feeling.

John Junior nodded eagerly and swam to the other end of the pool. John grabbed the beach ball and threw it to Jack.

'Hey, John Junior wants me to teach him the back stroke so it looks like we won.' With that, he turned and swam to his son.

Jack turned to look at Olivia who was picking at the strap on her swimsuit, desperate not to meet his eyes and reveal just how hurt she was by her father's snub.

As he began to teach his son the backstroke, John noticed that Olivia was looking left out. He also looked at O'Neill, who gave a pointed look that said,

"_Don't screw this up."_

John thought for a moment. From what he could tell, Olivia had a sense of humor that was obviously _not_ inherited from Elizabeth. An idea began to form in his mind. Elizabeth needed to get into water, whether she was ready for it or not.

"Hey Olivia, could you come here for a moment? I'd like to ask you something."

While zoning out on Rodney (it was like riding a bike, it was something you never forgot once you learned), Elizabeth was watching John with their kids in the pool. He seemed to be having an intent conversation with both of them. As they finished up, she noticed a grin on all three of them that she'd learned only meant one thing: trouble. Though what kind of trouble, she didn't know just yet.

When she turned her attention back to Rodney, she didn't notice that John had gotten out of the pool and was heading towards her, Rodney, and Carson. Having not seen John's chest in a long time, she blatantly ogled him. When she finally met his eyes, he gave her that half grin of his that had and still did drive her insane.

"See something you like, Liz?"

Changing the subject, she asked,

"Are the kids enjoying the pool?"

"Yes they are. They want to show you something, so why don't you come along?"

Leaving her cell phone and house keys on the table, she followed John to the pool area. She had a feeling that… Then John proceeded to pick her up threshold style and carried her into the pool. Not wanting him to slip, she said,

"John Sheppard, put me down now."

With an evil grin on his face he said,

"As you wish."

And he dropped her into the deep end of the pool.

Once Elizabeth came up for air she had on her best imperial death glare directed at John. But she couldn't keep a smirk off her face while she said,

"John Sheppard. You are a dead man."

The twins were giggling slightly. When she turned the look on them saying with her eyes "you knew about this, didn't you" they started outright laughing.

As she got back out of the water, Elizabeth said to John,

"You're lucky I brought some spare clothes with me, because I am not sitting around in these wet clothes all day."

John leaned closer and whispered something in her ear. Her only reply was to push him back into the pool with a splash while blushing like she hadn't blushed in years.


	7. Parenting Lessons Under Pressure

**Chapter VI: Parenting Lessons Under Pressure**

**A/N: Thanks to IzzieStar who got a lot of this chapter out! She has kept me on my toes and I am grateful for that. Enjoy the chapter! Sparky She-Demon**

* * *

><p>Since John had left to go and find some model paints, Elizabeth felt like she had been having the same conversation with her son all morning and the main topic was model planes and 'Daddy John' and the fact that her son had woken up minus a tooth. Despite the unchanging subject matter, Elizabeth was secretly pleased. In the rare moments she had allowed herself to consider the possibility of John ever finding out that he was a Dad, she had never expected him to be so eager and attentive so soon. With JJ at least anyway. With Olivia, things weren't quite so clear-cut and rosy, but she persuaded herself that things would sort themselves and that Olivia just needed time to adjust to her Daddy.<p>

When lunchtime passed and John _still_ wasn't back, she was starting to get worried that something had happened. That was until her son started jumped up from his vigil at their room window, grabbed the model airplane that he had made with John and made for the door.

'Johnny,don't you have something to ask me?'

JJ stopped in his tracks and turned to his Mom with a grumpy expression, 'Daddy John is back and I _really _need to go and paint my model.'

'I'm not hearing that magic word.'

'Please!' JJ squealed desperately.

Elizabeth nodded at him and then watched as her son dashed out of the room without closing the door behind him. She then turned her attention to Olivia who was quietly playing with the stuffed white tiger she'd had since birth and still refused to sleep without. Something in Olivia's countenance bothered her and she stood up to close the door, but was greeted by the eager smiles of Carson and Rodney who were making their way down the corridor to see her. Instinctively, she turned to check Olivia who she knew was bothered by _something_. Her expression of passive sadness had been replaced with a grin directed at their guests. Stepping back, she let the men in, and was pleased to see that they were comfortable enough to sit on the beds. Particularly Rodney who had even moved the pillows around and was now sat lying back with his feet up.

'I swear this bed is more comfortable than the one I'm stuck with.' He commented, wriggling against the pillows.

'At least you haven't insisted on bringing your orthopedic mattress with you.' Elizabeth said, with a smile in Carson's direction which was returned.

'Hey, I need that mattress. It will probably take my back months to recover from this holiday.' Rodney replied.

'That's probably what those poor marines who had to carry it from the gate to your quarters in Atlantis were saying.' Carson said, chuckling fondly.

Smiling to herself at the memory of being greeted by what was possibly the thickest mattress she had ever seen come through the _Stargate_, in one of the strangest moments of her life, Elizabeth took the liberty to sit beside Carson on Olivia's bed.

'Mommy,' Olivia said suddenly, 'can I go and play with John?'

'Of course.' Elizabeth said.

With just the three of them, away from the prying ears of little children who Elizabeth knew picked up on everything, the conversation flowed even easier and they were soon sharing a bottle of wine which Carson had brought along for something just like this.

'So come on then, what do you miss most about Atlantis?' Carson asked Elizabeth.

'Apart from Rodney waking me up at three am?'

'Hey, I think we all know who was keeping you awake at three am now.' Rodney said, with a drunken laugh.

Unable to suppress a smile, Elizabeth continued, 'I suppose the thing I miss most is you guys; that feeling that you were part of something life-changing and dangerous, but that we always looked out for each other.'

'Aye, I think you're right. We had some fun too though, didn't we?' Carson said, fondly.

'We had so much fun! Do you remember that one night when we did the karaoke?' Rodney interjected.

'Please don't!' Elizabeth said, hiding her face in her hands.

'I remember your rendition of 'Thriller'.' Carson said to Rodney.

'I don't think I'll ever forget _that _rendition of 'Thriller'. Or those dance moves to be precise.' Elizabeth commented.

'Do you remember Ronon's face?' Carson said, nudging Elizabeth's arm.

Once again, Elizabeth found herself hunched over with laughter and only stopped when she heard a knock on the door and was faced with Jack, who was happy to see her looking the most relaxed she had been in years.

'Hey, I was just wondering if you want me to take the kids off your hands.' Jack offered.

'Thanks Jack, but they're both busy with John.'

* * *

><p>Meanwhile...<p>

After spending the morning trailing through stores to find enamel paint for his son, John was pleased to see that JJ was sat waiting for him in the bar area, staring at the F15 Eagle model that they had completed the previous day. When he looked up to see his father a big grin spread across his face revealing that he had lost a tooth since John had left in the morning.

'What happened to your tooth?' John asked, sitting beside his son.

'It fell out.'

'You lost one before?'

JJ shook his head earnestly.

'Well you'd better put it under your pillow so the tooth fairy can take it away and leave you a dollar.'

'Really?' JJ asked in wide-eyed amazement.

'As long as you're a good boy for the rest of the day.' John said with a twinkle in his eye which his son didn't pick on.

'I will be. Did you get the paint?'

John emptied the tiny pots and paint brushes from the bag he had been carrying and laid them out in front of his son who looked mildly disgusted by the minute amount of paint which he was being permitted to play with. Seeing his son's expression, John laughed.

'I'm afraid that's the size they come – it's not like we're painting a real plane.' John explained.

'Do I have to paint it like the picture?'

'Not the most interesting design is it? You can paint it anyway you want – that's why I got so many different colors.'

'Anyway I want?' JJ repeated, his eyes lighting up.

Although JJ was eager to set about painting his plane straight away, John insisted that he plan out his design first so that he wouldn't end up disappointed with the end result. After he settled on a bright design which consisted of green and red wings and a yellow body with a blue stripe down the middle, John finally let his son loose on the paints.

Whilst dabbing some paint onto the wing in a way which the brush certainly wasn't designed for, JJ said, 'Do you fly these planes, Daddy?'

Hearing the final word come from his son's mouth for the first time, John felt an unfamiliar sense of comfort and companionship and had to clear his throat before he was able to reply.

'I used to; a long time ago.'

'You should have told them that they look really rubbish.'

John chuckled, 'I think that's the point.'

The younger John looked up at the older and gave him a confused look, but didn't question any further and continued with his painting. Just as he was putting his finishing touches to his painting, Jack strolled through the bar and wandered over to them with an approving grin.

'F15 Eagle?' He asked.

'F15 boring!' JJ said in a sing-song voice.

'No Livie? Elizabeth seemed to think she'd come down here.' Jack asked.

'No, it's just been the two of us.' John said, obtusely.

Jack looked around in confusion, certain that Olivia wouldn't lie to her mother and his eye was caught by the movement of a curtain at the far end of the bar which revealed a few stray brown curls and a small hand. Not wanting to draw attention to her, Jack calmly made his way over to the curtain, but she was too quick and, seeing him approach, ran out from behind the curtain and straight to the staircase. From the faint glimpse that he had of her face it was pretty evident that she was crying.

Jack looked back at what Olivia had been watching. Her brother getting more attention from their father, while she was pretty much getting ignored.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth, Rodney and Carson had actually been talking about the kids for about the past five minutes, when they heard a small tapping at the door. Waving to Elizabeth to sit down, Carson opened the door and Olivia darted into the room and burrowed into her mother's lap, bringing their conversation to an abrupt end. Smoothing her daughter's hair in a way that she knew would comfort her, Elizabeth asked softly,<p>

"What's wrong sweetie?"

At first Olivia only burrowed into Elizabeth more. But then she said quietly,

"I tripped."

Carson knelt down to Olivia's height and looked her in the eye, smiling softly at her. Even with the tears in her eyes, she could help but smile back at his kind face.

'I'm a Doctor and I have lots of things that could make you better, but I have one very special treatment that I save only for my favourite patients.' He said.

'What is it?' Olivia asked shyly.

'An extra special Doctor Beckett hug. Would you like to try it?'

Olivia nodded eagerly and happily wrapped her small arms around his neck tightly. Carson winked at Elizabeth and returned Olivia's hug. Feeling this, Olivia hugged him tighter and declared him to be her favorite Doctor in the world.

The door swung open and Olivia turned to see Jack, staring straight at her. Embarrassed at what he had seen just minutes earlier, Olivia buried her head into Carson's neck, hiding from the man that she so looked up to. Seeing her obvious unease, Jack decided that it could wait and accepted the glass of wine that Elizabeth was offering to him.

As the day went on, Jack continued to attempt to get Olivia on her own, but she remained attached to somebody for the entire duration and he really didn't want to put her in the position where she would have to explain herself in front of everybody else when she clearly didn't want to talk about it at all.

When all seven of them squeezed around a table at dinner time and Olivia sat at the opposite end to him, Jack began to accept that he wasn't going to be getting anything out of Olivia until morning. That was until Elizabeth insisted that Olivia was shivering and that she go and get a jumper. After ten minutes, Elizabeth was beginning to worry about her daughter and Jack readily stepped in to go and check on her.

Jack considered knocking on the bedroom door, but ultimately decided to let himself in and was faced with Olivia standing with her foot hovering over the plane that father and son had spent so long putting together and painting.

'What the hell do you think you're doing, young lady?' He asked, angrily.

Panicked, Olivia tried to run past him through the open doorway, but he was too quick and grabbed and her causing her to shout for her Mum. Desperate to calm her down before somebody in the hotel noticed, Jack lifted her up and apologized for shouting. He placed her down on the bed and then hovered in case she ran off again. When it became clear that she wasn't going to, he sat down beside her.

'So, are you gonna tell me what's going on?'

Olivia shook her head stubbornly, but remained where she was sat.

'I think I can probably guess. You're feeling a bit left out because John's spending all his time with your brother?' He asked softly.

Olivia nodded and stared at her lap. Sighing, Jack put his hand on her shoulder and stroked it gently.

'The thing about John is that he's new to this, and he's going to screw up. In fact, he is screwing up. And don't tell your Mom I used that word.'

Olivia giggled and then the smile fell from her face, 'Why doesn't he like me?'

'He does. I promise you. He's just not very good at showing it. At the moment anyway.'

'Then why doesn't he play with me?'

'Have you asked?'

Olivia considered his question than shook her head.

'There you go then. Look, I know it's hard for you, so how about I have a word with him and you give another chance?'

'Okay.' Olivia said, sounding not entirely convinced.

Jack nodded at her, in what he hoped was a reassuring way, and then took her hand and guided her back to dinner where he lied that Olivia had got off the lift at the wrong level and had got lost. Pretty much as soon as they sat down, a rather attractive waitress appeared with their dinner, making an extra effort to smile and say hello to the twins.

'Do I not get a smile?' John asked, as she placed his dinner down.

'Do you deserve one?' She asked, cheekily.

'I think so.' John replied, eying her up.

The waitress considered him and raised an eyebrow, 'Maybe if you eat all your dinner up.'

With that, she left and Elizabeth caught enough of her expression to know that she was smirking. Her eyes moved over to John who was also looking particularly pleased with himself. She shook her head to herself before taking a bite of dinner to cover her expression.

When Jack was satisfied that the twins were safely tucked away in their room asleep, and Rodney, Carson and Elizabeth were occupied with each other, he sidled up to John who was sat at the bar chatting to the waitress who had served them at dinner. She certainly had a smile on her face now. Eventually, she picked up on the atmosphere between Jack and John she left the two men alone, as annoyed and awkward with each other as ever. Allowing John to finish his drink, Jack suggested that they find somewhere a bit quieter and they eventually ended up in John's room, where John sat against a chest of drawers with a clear look of boredom in his eyes.

'Got another bomb drop for me, Sir? Any other children that I should know about?' John asked, cruelly.

'It's funny you should mention it actually; you see you also happen to have a daughter. About four-feet tall, curly brown hair? Ringing any bells?' Jack asked sardonically.

'You seem to know her quite well, given all those secret little visits you've been having to _my _children over the years, never thinking to drop in an tell me.'

'You know what Sheppard, I don't care if you have a problem with me, what I care about is the fact that you have a daughter absolutely crying out for love and attention from you and you don't even seem to notice that she exists.' Jack said, angrily.

Although he didn't allow it to show in his countenance, this outburst from Jack affected John more than he cared to let on and he found himself with a growing sense of shame in his gut as he realised just how little he had allowed himself to get to know his daughter. To hear this from Jack though, was the worst part so he remained on the defensive.

'Well thanks to you I haven't exactly had the opportunity yet, but I'm sure you'll be the first to know when I do.'

'Right, you want an apology? Fine, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the twins, but you have to stop using that as an excuse. You want to know something? I came across Olivia this afternoon trying to break that plane that you and your son spent all those hours on. She's not a vindictive child John, so you can probably figure out what drove her to that especially when she has spent most of her life interested in planes.'

Since learning of the twins' existence, it was the first time that John didn't feel angry to hear Jack talking about them. He finally understood just how much Jack cared about them and that in caring about them he wanted to see John be the best Dad he could be. It wasn't a competition; they were two human beings who had been forced to live as near hermits, and that wasn't Jack's fault. Hell, John was even almost grateful that he had been around to keep an eye on them.

John stepped forward and held his hand out to Jack who accepted it.

'Can I buy you a drink?' John offered.

'Let's make it a bottle.' Jack replied.

* * *

><p>The next morning…<p>

John peeked around the door and saw Olivia reading a book. He looked to her eyes which were full of the intensity which he had so often seen in Elizabeth's eyes in Atlantis. Watching her, he knew that he should step forward and make his presence known, but it was mildly enjoyable just watching her, seeing the small squint in her eyes as she came to a word that she couldn't quite spell out.

As he leant forward, the floorboard creaked and Olivia looked up in shock. When she realised who it was she blushed and smiled before looking back to her book, although John could see that her eyes were no longer reading the word. He sat down beside her and picked up the book, turning it round and eying the title.

'Winnie the Pooh, huh? My Mom used to read this to me and my brother when we were kids.' He said with a nostalgic smile.

'What is your brother like?'

'Kinda boring actually, but he was fun when we were kids. We were always playing pranks on our parents together.'

'Did you ever push your Mommy into the swimming pool?' Olivia asked with a grin.

'Worse than that. I remember on Mom and Dad's anniversary one year, they were dressed up to go out to a fancy restaurant, and Dave and I were mad about them leaving us, so we set the lawn sprinklers off as soon as they left the house.'

Olivia giggled in shock and amusement and it was so infectious that he found himself laughing along with her.

'What happened?'

'Well they were both pretty mad, and we were grounded for a month, but they stayed in.' John said with a twinkle in his eye.

'You were really naughty!'

'Well, I still am, but don't tell anybody.' He said, putting a finger to his lips.

'I don't mind.' Olivia said, kindly.

'Good. Look Olivia, I feel like I've let you down a bit since I came into your life, and it probably looked to you that I liked your brother more.'

Hearing this, Olivia quickly broke eye contact and stared at the floor making it even harder for John to try and stress just how much she meant to him.

'What I'm trying to say here is that I don't like your brother more than you, I guess I just don't know how to be with a little girl, but I'd really like for you to teach me.'

Olivia finally looked up at him with a small smile and nodded, filling John with love that he didn't know he could feel and love that no doubt Rodney McKay would give him hell over.

'Shake on it?' He said, putting his hand out.

Olivia put her own hand out, but just as he was about to touch her hand she lifted it and put her thumb to her nose whilst wriggling her fingers and sticking her tongue out. John chuckled and had a feeling that they were going to be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: Now that the twins have been established as characters, the next chapter will focus more on the growing tension between John and Elizabeth.**


	8. A Long Time Coming

**Chapter VII: A Long Time Coming**

**A/N: Thanks to IzzieStar and Blackwidowmistress for all of their help with this chapter. They know what they did. Enjoy! She-Demon.**

* * *

><p>The commotion from the corridor was enough to rouse Elizabeth who had been relaxing on her balcony listening to the radio. She immediately turned the volume down to listen, and realizing it was Rodney voice she was hearing, made her way across her room to the corridor. The scene before her was not what she expected as she witnessed the smirks on her children's faces and the red-faced anger on Rodney's.<p>

"What is going on here?" She demanded.

"Why don't you ask Dad of the Year over here?" Rodney said, not taking his eyes away from John's face.

"John." Elizabeth said.

John turned to her with a roll of the eyes in Rodney's direction, "We were just playing a harmless-"

"Harmless? Life-threatening is more like it!" Rodney spat.

"Oh come on, we put them in places where we knew you'd find them before asphyxiating or whatever would have happened." John said, lazily.

"It was a very risky trick to play John." Carson said.

"Can somebody just tell me what exactly is going on?" Elizabeth said.

"John and the twinnies thought it would be fun to lay a few oranges around McKay's room." Jack volunteered.

Shocked, Elizabeth recalled the expressions on the twins' faces when she had first come from their room and felt a spike of anger that they could have done this, that _he_ could have encouraged and allowed them to do this.

"I think there is something that you should say to Rodney, you two."

Much to her annoyance, the twins did not instantly apologize, but looked to John and waited for his confirmation with a nod before they turned to Rodney and said sorry. With that they tried to make their way past her to return to their room, but she put her hands to stop them. Both looked up at her with confused expressions.

"Now I want you to go and get every single orange out of Rodney's room."

Although they both protested against this, they ultimately gave in and trooped into Rodney's room with their glares back at their Mom. She chose to ignore this and turned to John with a forced smile.

"John, a word please?"

John, obediently, followed Elizabeth to her room not wanting another scene on the corridor. As soon as she placed her hands on her hips and stared at him with _that _look in her eyes, he knew he was going to be on the defensive for the duration of this conversation.

"How could you have been so irresponsible John?"

"Come on Liz, there is no way that he wouldn't have noticed them."

"Don't call me Liz, and that is not the issue here. JJ and Olivia are six years old; they don't understand how dangerous that prank really was. What happens if they decide to take it one step further and put, I don't know, a slice of lemon in his drink?"

"I think you're taking this a little out of proportion, don't you?"

"No, I don't. They are impressionable and you can't just come into their life and let them think that they can get away with bad behavior by laughing it off as a prank."

"Or maybe _you _don't like the idea of somebody else coming into their life and letting them do something that _you_ don't approve of." John accused.

"I think you would struggle to find many parents who would approve of their children playing pranks which they know could put a person in danger."

"And I suppose that's a dig at me for not being around?"

"That's not what it was at all John. I am happy that they have a Dad and you have them, but parenthood comes with responsibility and you can't be the good cop all the time."

"And _you _have got to let them be kids. I know it's been hard for you, but they're kids and they're gonna do naughty stuff."

"That doesn't give you the right to encourage it." Elizabeth said, raising her voice.

"Wouldn't you rather that they did something like that with me around than on their own?"

"John, they would never even have considered it if it wasn't for you. I want you to go and tell them that what you did today was wrong."

"You know what; I'll leave it to you. You'd only complain about the way I did it."

With final angry glance at Elizabeth, John left the room, slamming the door behind him as he went.

* * *

><p>The next day was relatively quiet. It was the second to last day of the trip and John wanted to spend as much time as possible with his kids. Even if it meant spending some time with O'Neill, whom both kids seemed to adore. He'd come to accept that O'Neill was one of their few contacts with the outside world. The twins had been talking nonstop about a hockey game that he'd taken them to last year. John could tell that the general had done his best to try and give them a view of the outside world. They were in the bar, and he, Rodney, Jack and Carson were playing Buzztime Trivia. Olivia was with them as her brother wasn't feeling particularly well and was being slightly clingy towards Elizabeth. As he'd gone to sit on Elizabeth's knee, she asked her son,<br>"You gonna be my lucky mascot for this evening?"  
>Even though he wasn't feeling well, it made JJ smile and burrow further into Elizabeth's arms. Watching this, John couldn't help but smile at the intimacy that they clearly shared. While his shock at discovering he was a father had been overwhelming, he found that he was still adjusting to the reality that Elizabeth was not only a parent, but the mother of his children.<p>

It was also nice to get the chance to spend a bit of extra time with Olivia, who he still felt he needed to make things up to, and was happy to enjoy her sitting on his knee, while letting her press the buttons for them.

As the waiter came back to refill their drinks, he offered to get them all another round of drinks, hoping in vain that the alcohol may dull Rodney's competitive side. With Olivia still wide-awake, John ordered her a Root Beer, realizing she hadn't had a drink for a couple of hours and wanting to show that he could work the responsible side of parenting for Elizabeth's benefit. When the waiter returned, he noticed Rodney wince slightly at something behind him. John turned around and found out that he was being treated to one of Elizabeth's best death glares. He didn't know what he'd done, but he figured he'd find out later.

When Rodney had finally been declared the winner as the clock approached eleven, none of them could say they were too disappointed to be escaping his slight drunken, gloating manner. Both children were fast asleep, and so as not to wake them, John offered to carry Olivia to bed, while Elizabeth was still hugging John Junior tightly to her.

As they walked past the bar, Elizabeth didn't fail to notice John's face light up as he the barmaid he'd been getting on _so _well with smiled at him.

"Hey Dani." He said, coming to a stop.

Elizabeth felt obliged to awkwardly stand beside him, straining under the weight of her son and more than ready for bed herself. Not to mention, she didn't really appreciate the idea of her former lover sharpening his verbal foreplay while his two kids and former lover were less than a meter away.

"Hey yourself. How's the little man feeling?" Dani asked.

"Still feeling a bit rough." John admitted.

"That's a shame. So, are you off to bed now too?" Dani asked coyly.

"I was going to come back down for nightcap, if you're interested?"

"I'd like that." Dani replied, barely hiding her delight.

With that, John smiled at her one last time before heading to the elevator with Elizabeth, who was barely able to control the sudden anger she felt towards him. As much as she know that she shouldn't be getting into an argument when she felt so tired and petulant, she couldn't help bring up their earlier argument when her and John were out of earshot.

"You still haven't apologized for the way you left yesterday." Elizabeth said in a harsh whisper.

"I figured that we were agreeing to disagree."

"You think that's sensible?"

"The alternative is that we keep arguing so, yes, I do." John said.

"And what happens the next time you get a 'fun' idea into your head, like, buying Olivia a Root Beer at half past eight at night." Elizabeth hissed.

"So that's what the look was about?"

"What look?"

"You know exactly which look I'm talking about, and, for the record, I was worried she hadn't drunk enough today." John replied.

"So you decided to fill her up with sugar?" Elizabeth scoffed.

"Okay, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Thank you." Elizabeth said.

Their quarrelling had taken them all the way to Elizabeth's room, and as Elizabeth struggled to reach for her key, John slid his spare arm under John Junior to take some of the weight off her. It occurred to Elizabeth how naturally and instinctively they worked together, even now, and she found herself smiling at John for the first time all day. When she had finally got the door open, they laid the children down in their beds, and after kissing both of the twins goodnight, John made his way to the door, turning just as he opened it.

"Night." He said.

"Night." Elizabeth reiterated.

The door swung closed behind him, but Elizabeth continued to stare at it with a small sense of wistfulness.

"Enjoy your nightcap." She said quietly.

* * *

><p>Given that it was their last day, Elizabeth had allowed herself to be persuaded into letting the kids have a little longer in the pool than usual, and was sat watching them at half past seven with a hint of worry in her eye which, thankfully, had gone unnoticed by her companions. Although it hadn't really dawned on the twins yet that this was their last day, it was playing on Elizabeth's mind heavily. In twenty-four hours time, she would be resuming normality; raising two children on her own with little in between, and even though she trusted in John's love for the twins it was going to a tough ask to expect him to stay in frequent contact with them. Jack had, to an extent, tried to alleviate this problem by buying Elizabeth a private cell for John to contact her on, but she doubted that a couple of phone calls a week would ever be enough for Jonny and Livie.<p>

"Speak of the Devil", Elizabeth thought as John sauntered over to her and sat down beside her. She tried to force a smile, but she still felt a flicker of irritation towards him.

"Are you free to talk?" He asked.

"Of course." Elizabeth said, placidly.

"I've been doing some thinking, and I think it's going to be difficult for me to keep in contact with you and the kids as much as I'd like to."

As she heard him voice her own concerns, Elizabeth felt a knot form in her stomach. Despite this, she still managed to nod her head in an encouraging manner.

"I'm going to transfer to Phoenix." John continued with a grin.

"What?" Elizabeth asked in shock.

"There's a base in Phoenix which is perfect travelling distance from you and the twins."

"John this a very hasty decision to make." Elizabeth said, warily.

A look of annoyance crept up on John's face as he very quickly realized where this conversation would be leading to.

"It's the right decision to make." He said, firmly.

"I'm not sure it is; there are a lot of things to take into consideration."

"Like what? They need their Dad." John said angrily.

"If you are trying to imply that I have, in anyway, not been enough for them Elizabeth began", in a raised tone.

"Sorry, I forgot for a second there that I was talking to a clinical control freak." John sneered.

From the corner of his eyes, John spotted Jack approaching them, but Elizabeth was completely undeterred.

"Being in control is certainly an improvement of your haphazard approach to life."

"You know nothing about my life." John snarled, despite himself.

"I see you're enjoying you're daily argument." Jack commented, as he joined them.

"I'm taking the kids to bed." Elizabeth said.

"You're not going anywhere until we've sorted this out." John said angrily.

"There's nothing to sort out. It's not happening." Elizabeth replied callously.

While John and Elizabeth were giving each other daggers, Jack saw that the children were no longer occupied by the pool, but were very much aware of the argument between their parents and were watching with a mixture of worry and intrigue.

"Look guys, it's pretty clear that you guys have a lot to talk about; get your asses out of here and sort it out before the kids become too accustomed to you two shrieking like a pair of banshees. I'll take them for the night." Jack said.

"Jack, everything is-"Elizabeth began, with a sweet smile.

"Just do it." Jack said returning her smile.

Elizabeth turned to look at John, but he'd already gone over to say goodnight to the twins and was eying her with annoyance. Reluctantly, she kissed her children goodnight and followed him.

When they arrived at his room, John thrust his hand into his pocket angrily and pulled out his key, which he then dropped. Groaning inwardly, he picked it up and finally managed to get the lock undone. Remembering his manners, he held the door open for Elizabeth but he couldn't help but glare at her as she walked past. For her part, she remained cool and composed which only served to infuriate him even more. He closed the door with a resolute slam and turned to focus his glare on her once more.

"You cannot move to Phoenix." She said resolutely.

"I can and I am." John replied, unable to mirror Elizabeth calmness.

"The IOA have made it clear time and time again that my continued existence depends on my isolation from my previous life. The moment you put in that request, they are going to put two and two together and where would we be then?"

"Are you sure it's the IOA you're _really_ worried about Doctor Weir?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Elizabeth demanded, defensively.

"Maybe it's me you're worried about; maybe you don't really want the twins to have a Dad."

The words had the desired effect as John saw fury flash through Elizabeth's eyes.

"How dare you." She said, her voice shaking.

"Oh, I dare." He said, harshly.

"I have done everything to accommodate you as a father –"Elizabeth began.

"Except for actually telling me they existed for six years, but maybe that suited you. You've made it pretty clear that you don't actual want me to be involved in their upbringing." John sneered.

"Oh yes, because _you're _such a good influence John." Elizabeth sneered back.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" John fumed.

"You know exactly what it means."

"I want you to tell me." John demanded.

"For a start, you've openly undermined my authority on repeated occasions; letting them stay up late, eat sugary food after five, fizzy drinks –"

"They're on vacation for Christ's sake." John interjected.

"Children need a routine, and more importantly than that, they need to learn to respect people, something that is not going to happen when you refuse to do it yourself." Elizabeth said shrilly.

"I suppose I need to remind you that respect works both ways. I am their father and I have as much right to decide on their routine as you do."

"And that is just the tip of the iceberg," Elizabeth said, as if she hadn't heard, "your behavior in front of them also leaves a lot to be desired; drinking, gambling-"

"One friendly game of poker with the guys." John interjected.

"And not to mention your flirting." Elizabeth continued.

Once she said it, she regretted it. If he realised how much it bothered her that he was pursuing another woman, he would assume that she still had feelings for him, of which she was absolutely trying to persuade herself wasn't true and was failing miserably at that task.

"Oh yes because I'm sure in Saint Elizabeth of Sedona's world, the twins are gonna grow up to be monks who have no interest in relationships." John commented.

"That's exactly the issue John; you don't have _any _interest in relationships. You're a man in his forties who lives like he's a college student." Elizabeth spat.

"Maybe you're jealous." John said, with a smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous." Elizabeth said, trying to ignore the blush that was rising in her cheeks.

Realizing that he was almost certainly correct, John slowly made his way over to Elizabeth and slowly stroked a curl away from her eye.

"Then prove it." He said softly.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, making a move to turn when he spoke.<p>

"When was the last time you honestly relaxed? Let yourself just be you?" he asked, his face inches from hers.

"I don't have time for that, I have two kids to raise" she said moving her head, breaking the contact between his hand and her hair.

"You mean, we have two kids" he corrected her, bitterness in his voice.

"Oh, do we just? I know you knocked me up and I raised them for the better part of their life, alone I might add" she hissed, her arms folded across her chest.

John walked forward to her, his hand reaching out to grasp her hand causing her to flinch and pull it back, moving towards the door.

"Don't do it John" she muttered, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Don't do what Liz? Don't do what? Show me that you honestly don't feel anything for me, and don't you dare bring up how I wasn't there to raise those kids, in case you didn't realize I never got a choice in the matter." he yelled after her causing her to turn around and look at him.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at him and took a breath before speaking, her voice wavering slightly at first.

"You want me to tell you, I honestly have no feelings for you, that everything I ever felt is a lie, I can't do that John Sheppard, I don't want to, but as much as I feel for you, I can't do this, I can't do us, we're too different!" she said yelling at him, her eyes pleading him to drop the subject.

"We can do this Elizabeth and you know it! His face reflecting the emotion shown on hers.

"Don't do this to me" she pleaded as he stepped closer, his face once again inches away from hers.

"Don't do what?" he asked watching as Elizabeth tensed slightly before closing her eyes, his lips meeting hers softly, his hand snaking to her hip holding her close to him.

"This" she murmured before deepening the kiss, her hands threading through his unruly hair, pulling him closer.

'"Too late, I'm doing it" he said, grinning against her lips as he pushed her against the wall, her back meeting with the wood in a solid thump, momentarily distracting her from her goal of unbuttoning his shirt with her free hand.

They parted slightly for a moment, to regain their breaths and John grinned mischievously at Elizabeth as he gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up exposing the perfect skin of her stomach and her black lace bra.

"Black, I like it" he said, causing her to giggle slightly.

John grinned again, in return and moved his face to her neck, his lips ghosting across the skin, eliciting a small moan from her mouth.

"Oh god" she murmured against his ear, as his fingers slid up her back stopping as they reached the clasp of her bra; his fingers deftly unclasping it sending a small shiver up her spine as she thought back to another time when they had been like this.

Elizabeth lowered her arms from around his neck and allowed the item of clothing to slide down her arms, a coy smile on her lips that caused his eyes to darken with pleasure.

"You're gorgeous" he said to her as he stepped back to admire her creamy skin of her upper body, the tops of her legs still covered in the pair of tight denim cut offs she had been wearing earlier.

A smirk curved the edge of his lips as he kneeled before her, his hands finding their way to the button on her shorts, moving to unbutton it and pull the zipper down, the pants coming to slide down her thighs where he helped pull them the rest of the way down, exposing her black panties.

Elizabeth moaned as she felt his lips on her inner thigh, his fingers hooking the sides of her panties and bringing them down her legs, her hands threading through his hair. She glanced at him through heavy lids, her eyes half closed and her breasts heaving, creamy skin flushed with arousal.

John pouted at her momentarily before moving upwards again, taking the silent question and answering it with a long drawn out kiss, his hand skimming across her exposed stomach and lower across her thigh before moving between her legs.

Elizabeth moaned, her head falling backwards as he stroked her, her eyes closing with pleasure as her breathing increased, a gasp escaping her mouth as he entered a finger into her, his lips ghosting across her ear before speaking.

"You know you want it, you just have to let yourself have it" he said, his voice husky with arousal as he felt her near the edge, her whole body tensing before she moaned loudly, his finger still teasing her as she came down from her high, his lips moving over her neck.

"God" she said as she fell limp against the wall, his hands holding her up, her body sweaty and hot, eyes heavily lidded as she regarded his half dressed state.

"John will do" he said, his boyish smirk that she loved showing through.

"Well John; you're way over dressed" she said, her voice velvety and smooth as she said the words, a smirk curling the ends of her lips, causing John to flush as he thought of the last time they'd done this.

Elizabeth moved her hand over his bare chest and to his belt, which she unbuckled with ease, her fingers deftly flicking the button and pulling his fly down. She grinned as he closed his eyes as she moved her hand so that she was stroking him through his boxers.

"Jesus Liz" he said causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Been a long time?" she asked immediately wishing she hadn't she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Something like that" he murmured gripping her hand and pulling it away. "Keep doing that and we won't make it to the bed" he said grinning at her, his eyes glittering in a predatory manner.

The brunette looked at him for a moment feigning hurt before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bed, stopping just before it to kiss him, smiling as he pushed her down onto it.

"I'm afraid" she said suddenly causing John to cock his head to the side and look at her confused.

"I'll be gentle" he stated, unsure of what else to say.

Elizabeth giggled for a moment before regaining composure and speaking. "Not about that, god, I know you're gentle and caring... when I want you to be" she winked causing him to grin. "I meant about us" she said softly".

John stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Most people talk after they've had sex not before, sorta kills the mood".

Elizabeth glared at him and stood up; "I knew you couldn't take anything seriously!" she spat making her way to her clothes before being stopped by a hand on her wrist pulling her back to the spot in front of John.

"Let me go" she said half heartedly, before noticing the look on his face. "What?" she asked sighing, waiting for an excuse.

"I'm sorry" he said catching her off guard, her temper still flaring.

"For what?" she hissed, trying to get out of his grip.

"For being an ass all the time, what else? Shit, you think I like this? You think I like having you doubt me? I don't; I don't like it at all" he said causing her temper to go down, the look on his face pulling at her heart.

"I kinda like you being an ass" she said running her hand across his chest, her fingers dancing across his muscles.

John raised an eyebrow this time, causing Elizabeth to smile.

"I'm scared John, I have feelings, but I can't let them cloud by judgment, I have two kids now, a mini you and a mini me to look after, I have to take them into account as well" she said her eyes pleading with him to understand.

John smiled as he leant down to kiss her. "Just feel, for once, just feel, don't think; be Elizabeth, not Doctor Weir and not Mummy Liz" he said smiling at the last part, before leaning down once more to kiss her, his tongue entering her mouth and entangling itself with hers.

Elizabeth smiled into the kiss as she felt the bed behind her knees and her body colliding with it.

"Just feel" John whispered in her ear as he ran his hands down her thighs, gently parting them so he could lie between them.

Elizabeth's hands fisted his hair tighter as he moved to enter her, a loud gasp coming from her mouth as he did, his hands gripping her hips as he allowed her a moment to adjust to his size.

"Oh!" she said against his ear, a half gasp half moan, breathless and needy already as he began an even rhythm, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust. His right hand moving to cup her breast, as he continued to thrust into her.

"God, you feel so good" he said into her ear, his right hand gently kneading her breast, his left gripping her hip as they both worked their bodies.

Elizabeth moaned as his hand slid down her body from her breast to the nerves above where they were joined, his fingers teasing them, her body tensing as she felt the sensations, a low groan coming from him as he too neared the edge.

"So close"; she groaned as he thrust into her harder and faster, his fingers working her, his own body growing tense as he muscles clamped around him, her body convulsing suddenly as she went over the edge.

He smiled to himself for a moment as he watched her come undone before him, a look of absolute bliss upon her face. John moved to kiss her, his lips melding with hers as she brought him down from a high, before his hand gripped her hip once more as he thrust into her harder, his movements becoming jerky as he neared his release.

"Holy" he said as he collapsed on top of her before rolling off beside her.

Elizabeth grinned slightly. "I gotta say; I didn't realize I missed that, that much" she said leaning up to kiss him once more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: So… what do you guys think? Is the rating necessary now?**


	9. Shattering the Family Picture

**Chapter VIII: Shattering the Family Picture**

**A/N: Thank you IzzieStar! You know what you did and I am grateful for it.**

* * *

><p>As Elizabeth wearily opened her eyes, she was hit by a small sense of relief as she realised that the sun was only just rising, the light beginning to creep under the curtains. Tentatively, she turned herself to face her sleeping partner, and a small smile came to her face as she remembered the previous night. She lifted her fingers to reach out and touch his face, but faltered just millimeters away, and sighed.<p>

Even as it was happening, she had had the lingering sense that she was making a decision that she would ultimately regret, and the morning was only proving her right. To be involved with John, again, would be even more dangerous now that it ever had been before, she realized. Even though she still cared for him so very much, loved him even, giving into that love wasn't an option for her. As much as she knew John's flirtation with Dani was trivial, it was what it represented that hurt the most. She saw that now, more than ever; John wasn't ready to be that man. Maybe he never would be. So she was letting him go because as much as he meant to her, her children meant more. Risking the little happiness that they had, on the whim of an impulsive man, was never going to happen.

With one final regretful look at him, Elizabeth slipped out of the bed to retrieve her frantically strewn clothes from the bedroom carpet, and pulling them with as gently and quietly as possible to try to ensure that he wouldn't be woken by her movement. With her shoes dangling in her hand, Elizabeth reached for the lock, closing her eyes in fear and frustration as the click of it filled the room. When she was confident enough that he hadn't been woken, she eased the door open and crept through it, closing it with equal ease. With the door closed, John finally felt that it was safe to open his eyes, and was struck by the familiarity of passionate sex, followed by sneaking around during the early hours of the morning with Doctor Elizabeth Weir.

John was not the only person who had been struck by this thought, as Elizabeth closed the door to her own room and leaned against the coolness of the wood. It had certainly been a long time since this sense of panic had gripped her stomach as she had snuck through corridors in the hope that nobody would see her. With a glance at the clock which told her that it was just after six, Elizabeth threw her key onto the dressing table before turning the shower on in the bathroom and removing her clothes, which she quickly threw into the suitcase that was still half packed on her bed, desperate to rid herself of anything that reminded her.

In the bathroom again, she wiped away the condensation that had formed on the mirror and eyed the flash of red across her neck, bringing her fingers to it absent-mindedly. Somewhere in the bottom of her make-up bag was a crusty bottle of concealer that would cover up the final memento of the previous night and nobody would ever have any cause to suspect.

When she was showered, and her skin was tinged with the pinkness of thorough washing, Elizabeth gathered her children's clothes and piled them on the dressing table beside the suitcase. With meticulous precision, she took each individual item of clothing, folded it and placed it in the bag. The irony of how robotic this action seemed and felt wasn't lost on her and she laughed slightly, thinking of the IOA, tucked away behind their desks somewhere.

Just after seven, when the cases were packed and zipped, she heard the banging of little fists at her door and quickly rushed across the room to greet her children who she was genuinely delighted to see.

"Were they okay?" Elizabeth asked Jack, with both children still engulfed in her arms.

"They were great. Did everything get sorted out?" Jack queried.

Elizabeth didn't even blink, years of diplomatic training allowing her to blandly say, "Yes."

"Good."

"Okay, shall we go and get some breakfast?" Elizabeth asked her children.

The children both nodded eagerly, and Elizabeth took each of them by the hand, struggling to keep up as they skipped and ran along. It occurred to her their looming departure still hadn't hit the twins yet and, seeing how happy they were, she decided not to remind them. It could wait, and there was no sense in ruining the last few hours of their vacation. She was so determined to ensure that they wouldn't go through any unnecessary upset that she didn't bat an eyelid when JJ stated his intention to have three sausages, scrambled eggs, and "lot's of hash browns" when they sat down at their table and humored Olivia when she asked to taste her coffee, which she still took black and her daughter immediately regretted.

"Daddy!" JJ called out.

Elizabeth turned to face the doorway and saw John walking into the room with a newspaper. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help a faint blush rise to her cheeks which she quickly tried to cover it by taking a large gulp of coffee. Thankfully, she saw over the rim of her mug that her companions were much too occupied in greeting John to notice any change in her complexion.

John, for his part, was pleased to be given the chance to avoid sitting next to Elizabeth when Olivia moved up a seat to accommodate him sitting between the twins, who were quick to fill him in on every detail of their sleepover with "Uncle Jack", who threw them an amused grin which was returned. When they'd finally exhausted their detailing of the previous night, Olivia turned to John and asked him what he had done last night. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Elizabeth's head snap in his direction, but was ultimately saved from answering the question with the arrival of breakfast.

"You got enough there?" John asked, eying his son's plate with amusement.

Not picking up on the sarcasm, JJ took another mouthful of sausage and nodded.

"Uncle Rodney will be proud." Jack commented.

"Leave him be." Elizabeth said, although she was also smiling.

"Yeah, I'm a growing boy." JJ said, still chewing on his sausage.

"Well, there's no denying that" said Jack.

Choosing to ignore that comment, Elizabeth ruffled her son's hair and kissed him on the forehead, causing an appalled reaction from JJ as he quickly rubbed her away her kiss with his hand and glared at her, causing Olivia to fall about in hysterics.

"Mommy embarrassed you!" Olivia squealed.

"Okay, I'll embarrass you then." John teased.

Before she had a chance to react, John reached under her arms and began tickling Olivia who immediately began squirming in her chair and struggled to beg her father to stop as she uncontrollably giggled. As she watched this, Elizabeth couldn't find it in herself to tell John to stop, despite her embarrassment at the looks that were being directed at the table, simply because she couldn't face the prospect of another argument with him after the resolution of the previous one. Instead, she widened her eyes in his direction and he eventually got the hint and dropped his hands from under Olivia's arms and returned to his breakfast.

"You know we could hear you lot way out in the corridor?" Rodney whined as he walked in and sat down at the table with Carson.

"Sorry." Elizabeth replied.

"Don't worry about it. It's nice to see everyone smiling." Carson said while perusing the menu.

"What are the hash browns like this morning?" Rodney asked as he read the menu.

"They're good." John said.

"But are they crispy? Because I keep asking them to make them crispy and they're never crispy."

"They're crispy today." Jack confirmed.

"Hmm," Rodney said, continuing to examine the menu, "I think I'll just have a couple of sausages with bacon and eggs.

"Just?" John questioned.

"Yes." Rodney said, looking around for the waitress.

"You really should watch your intake of fatty foods." Carson said with concern.

"A little bit of fat in the diet is good for you." Rodney said with a defensive tone in his voice.

"Little being the operative word." John muttered.

"And I suppose you've been filling up on multigrain cereal and fruit juice?"

Elizabeth couldn't suppress a grin at this comment, but she was surprised to find her amusement being replaced by a great sense of loss as she realized that this was probably the last time that they'd be together, like this, for a very long time, if they ever were again. As much as she rolled her eyes at some of the more ridiculous of Rodney's traits, she wasn't particularly welcoming the prospect of being parted from them because it meant that she would be parted from her friends, the twins from their father, and would once again be on her own.

* * *

><p>Going through the checking out procedure was a relatively quick one. But it was a lot different than what had happened while he'd been checking out. While he'd been checking in, John had just gone through the motions to just get to his room, dump his stuff, and get to Elizabeth. He hadn't even known about the twins. Knowing about them now and having to leave, wasn't an easy thing to do.<p>

He'd of course briefly toyed with the idea of just staying. Immediately after having that thought, he knew that it would be impossible on many levels. He'd have to settle for the attempt at getting transferred to Phoenix.

Right after he finished the check out process, John had put his wallet on the counter. He noticed the sad looks on the faces of the twins. They were mostly sticking close to Elizabeth, occasionally wandering over to Jack. He was so distracted by this scene that when he went to get his wallet again, it fell to the ground. As he made a move to pick it up, John found that someone was already handing it to him. It was a startlingly beautiful woman; dark blond hair and green eyes. She said,

"You should be more careful with that, Sir."

Normally he would've made some sort of flirty response, but his mind was filled with the looks on his kid's faces. He did manage to mutter a "thanks" before getting ready to go the car.

The tension John had felt over breakfast was nothing compared to the tension and anxiety he felt during the car journey to Elizabeth's. To say the children were more subdued was an understatement and when he checked Olivia's reflection in the rear-view mirror, he was pretty sure he could see tears welling in her eyes which she was desperately trying to hold back. He knew that he should crack a joke, or simply say _something_ to make things better, but he couldn't, because he knew that he'd only be able to convey his own hurt at their parting, and he didn't want his children to be caused anymore upset. So John gritted his jaw and narrowed his eyes to focus on the accelerating car just ahead of them, where he could tell from Rodney's head movements that there was some sort of bickering going on.

When they pulled onto the sidewalk, he turned to Elizabeth who was sat beside him and smiled awkwardly. The moment was broken by Jack opening Elizabeth's door for her, and she climbed out to reach up to give Jack a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered in his ear, her voice breaking.

"Don't mention it." Jack said, with a warm smile.

Elizabeth squeezed his arm and turned to Carson and Rodney, hoping Jack realised just how truly thankful she was that Jack had brought John into her..._their_ children's lives. Facing both Rodney and Carson, the tears that had been threatening all afternoon finally made an appearance, as they incoherently made promises about ringing every week and sending candy to twins. With a final wave, they returned to their car and Elizabeth turned to see John crouched down, holding the twins' hands.

"...and I have to go back home and work." John said sadly.

"Are you going to come back?" JJ asked, with wide-eyed fear.

"You try stopping me, but, until then, if you ever need me, your Mommy has a special Daddy phone so you can call me whenever you want. Just make sure you ask first." John said, with a hint of smile.

Both children nodded doubtfully and John briefly considered the possibility of staying; a possibility which he quickly realized the impossibility of, and he once again forced a bright smile for his children.

"Now, how about a Daddy sandwich?" John said, raising an eyebrow.

For the first time since they'd left the hotel both children managed a smile and threw themselves into John's arms, where he enveloped them and breathed them in, pulling them closer and whispering 'I love you'. They pulled away and John wiped away Olivia's tears and patted his son on the shoulder. He stood up with the composure of a trained soldier, and turned to Elizabeth who he took the hand of and squeezed with a regretful smile. The moment was over as quickly as it began, and Elizabeth ran past John to hug her children whose grief at his departure was blatantly evident. She knew that she would never be enough for them now, but it was worth it just for them to have one week of being two ordinary six-year olds with a Mom and a Dad.

"Daddy, please don't go!" Olivia yelped.

Half inside the car, John paused. Olivia had uttered the words that he had hoped and prayed that neither of his children would say, and what made it worse was the realization that this was the first time that Olivia found it in herself to call him 'Daddy' and it hurt him. It cut right through him. Slowly he turned to look at her, 'I'm sorry. I love you.'

And with that, he was gone.


	10. Fear and Panic

**Chapter IX: Fear and Panic**

**A/N: This was a fast turnaround! It was easy to write. Thanks IzzieStar, she knows what she did. Also, please don't go ballistic on me, everything has a reason. Enjoy the chapter! Sparky She-Demon.**

* * *

><p>One of the first things John did when he got back to Nellis and was in the privacy of his office was to print off the transfer request. Despite Elizabeth's protestations, he was going to at least try for the transfer to Luke AFB. There was no guarantee that it would be allowed. Especially, when he got to putting down the reason why he was requesting the transfer in the first place as he had no idea what to put down.<p>

"_Obviously I can't put down the real reason. So I have to come up with a BS reason that sounds plausible enough."_

When he first got to that question, he still had most of the form to fill out so he skipped it. When he was all finished, save for that question. He had to put something there; otherwise it would be rejected right off the bat. So he put down:

_It would open up new opportunities for me._

Once John finished writing it, he realized that he really wasn't lying on the form. Going to Luke AFB would open up opportunities, they just weren't military related.

"_Opportunities will open up, but they will be opportunities for me to be a real father to my kids."_

* * *

><p>Elizabeth awoke to the sound of her fading alarm clock and the realization that she was in very much back into the normality of life. With a sigh she tapped the top of the alarm clock and, alone in the deafening silence; she slipped her feet into her slippers. She padded her way down the hallway and paused at the twins' door and listened. Silence! Bringing her hand up to knock, she smiled wistfully, knowing just how exhausted they were after their vacation, and ultimately let her hand fall into the pocket of her robe. They could sleep for now. It would prolong the time until the moment when they woke up and remembered that they were home and their father was gone.<p>

As she came into the kitchen, seeking a mug of black coffee, Elizabeth's eyes fell on the "Daddy phone". To her surprise, he'd called the moment he touched down to check that the kids were okay and to simply say goodnight. They'd barely uttered a word to each other, but Elizabeth had found herself slightly tearful as it really hit her for the first time that he'd gone. Still, dwelling on it wasn't going to do any good for either her or the children, and she tucked the phone away in her purse, out of sight.

Elizabeth sat down with her coffee and flipped through the bills which she had missed, in her absence. There was nothing from the IOA, and there hadn't been any messages on the answering machine; she'd managed to get away with it.

With her bills organized and her mug empty, Elizabeth crept back upstairs and tapped on the children's door this time. Letting them sleep longer meant it would be more difficult to get them to sleep at their usual bedtime, and Elizabeth wasn't prepared to chase two six year olds around the house at eight o'clock. It was hard enough getting them to bed as it was some nights.

Hearing no answer, Elizabeth tapped on the door again calling their names, but was met, once again, with no sound. She rolled her eyes, and opened the door to the room shrouded in darkness. She flicked the switch to the light and her eyes fell on Olivia's bed. Her eyes immediately shifted to John Junior's bed and Elizabeth felt a clawing panic as she saw that it was equally empty.

Remembering their 'prank', a sense of creeping exasperation hit Elizabeth as she realised that the children had probably woken whilst she was downstairs and were hiding in an effort to prolong their holiday. Elizabeth grabbed the handle of their closet, and rifled through their clothes, feeling for the presence of a mischievous six-year old. When this proved fruitless, Elizabeth pulled the covers from their beds to look underneath them, revealing nothing but stray toys.

As she stood in their bedroom, looking out into the hallway, the silence once again hit her. Had her children been hiding, she knew that they wouldn't have been able to suppress their giggles for this long, but it wouldn't do to think like that, after all, where else would they be?

Continuing through the house, at a speed just sort of running, Elizabeth clutched at fabrics and doors with a sickening combination of both anticipation and fear. As she found herself back in the kitchen, Elizabeth let out a strangled call of their names and she reached for the surface to steady herself as her legs weakened beneath her.

"Please tell Mommy where you are." Elizabeth let out in a desperate whisper, "Please. Please. Please."

Elizabeth waited, but there was nothing as there had been all morning. She pushed herself off the side of the counter and ran back to their bedroom, all the while calling their names in a tone that gave away both the fear and desperation she felt. When she reached the room, the realization that they were gone hit her, and she collapsed in the middle of the room, tears running down her face. For the first time in her adult life, Elizabeth didn't fear what tears said about her; she feared what had caused the tears. Looking to her son's bed, she grabbed his comforter and enveloped it in her arms breathing in the scent of him.

Her moment of solitude was interrupted by a rap at the door. Looking in the direction of the sound Elizabeth immediately pulled herself and stumbled towards the door, grabbing at it with a force she didn't even realise she had; anything to fulfill the hope that her children were on the other side of that door.

The reality was devastating as she came face to face with the man in the suit who had driven her to this house all those years ago.

"You've taken them, haven't you?" Elizabeth cried.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: dives behind a bullet-proof barrier…**


	11. The First Wave

**Chapter X: The First Wave**

**A/N: Massive thank you to IzzieStar. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

* * *

><p>As Elizabeth crumpled, clutching the doorframe for support, Officer Clayton Webb narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He'd expected denial, defiance even, but certainly not this. Seeing Elizabeth Weir like <em>this <em>unnerved him, and the confidence and anger which he had mustered on his journey to Sedona were suddenly shrouded in uncertainty.

"I have a few questions to ask you about your activities over the last week, namely your relations with certain members of the Stargate program." Webb barked.

Through her tears, Elizabeth rose to look at Webb, with disgust. It was all so clear now; the lack of official letter, the absence of an urgent voicemail...and she felt nausea clawing at her gut.

"_This_ is your punishment?" Elizabeth spat.

"_This _is protocol." Webb replied, coolly, "Now shall we step inside, or would you like to conduct this interview under the watchful eyes of your neighbors?"

Webb gently placed a hand under Elizabeth's arm to guide her into the house, but at the feeling of his touch on her body, Elizabeth flinched and pulled her arm away, angrily turning her eyes on the cool-blue irises of Webb.

"You will get _nothing _from me until I get them back."

At this Webb, couldn't help but laugh, "Surely that would be defying the point?"

It had always been apparent to Elizabeth that the IOA didn't have a conscience when it came to the protection of 'national security', but this was...for her this was torture. The experiments, memories blurred in a fusion of white coats, had been nothing to this.

"You return my children to me, and I will give you any information you want." Elizabeth persisted.

Webb squinted against the rising sun to study Elizabeth's face, "Your children?"

"Yes. I want them back and I guarantee that I will not be cooperating with anymore of your inquiries until you ensure that."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm suddenly very concerned that you have somehow allowed two six-year olds to disappear." Webb said, angrily.

Elizabeth shook her head violently. Even in her emotional state, she wasn't going to allow the IOA to manipulate her into accepting that this was her fault in order to force her into submission. Her former experiences with the IOA, both as the leader of the Atlantis expedition, and as Project A, had taught her that letting them taking them assume control of any situation inevitably meant that she would face sacrifices, and she wasn't prepared to sacrifice the wellbeing of her children, as temporary as it may be.

"I will be waiting." Elizabeth said with a conviction that certainly didn't reflect her inner turmoil.

With that, Elizabeth moved to slam the door, but inches from the latch, Webb slammed his hand into the gap and rammed the door open. With his eyes burning into her, Webb moved towards her, taking one further step until she was backed against the wall with fear pulsing through her veins.

"I think it's time we had a little chat." Webb said.

As he turned away towards the lounge, Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief and her eyes fell on a photograph of Olivia and John Junior, taken the previous Christmas. Moving to follow Webb, Elizabeth paused for a second and gently touched their faces with her finger tips, silently promising to bring them home. When she entered the room, she found that Webb was vacantly fingering a carelessly strewn leaflet from the hotel, with a look of disappointment on his face.

"Now I'd like to know what exactly has happened with your children." Webb asked, looking up at her.

"I'm sure you could give me a better explanation."

"I assure you, I couldn't. Maybe we should start from the beginning." Webb said, raising the leaflet in his hand.

Elizabeth shook her head, "This is not how this is going to work. You return my children and I will give you the information that you so desperately seek."

Tiring of Elizabeth's attitude, Webb angrily threw the leaflet onto the table and turned his eyes on Elizabeth, "I'm afraid that you're children aren't in IOA custody, so I really do think it would be in your benefit to start talking if you'd like our cooperation in finding them."

"Y...you don't have them?" Elizabeth asked, unsteadily.

"No. We don't have them. It isn't our MO to take little children from their Mother's, as dubious as that Mother's claims to humanity are." Webb sneered.

Despite the calm, collected way Webb drawled this; Elizabeth simply couldn't find it in herself to believe him. If anybody was capable of maintaining his poker face in times of great emotional trauma, their history has taught Elizabeth that is was Webb.

"There is no other explanation...you've taken them to stop me seeing anybody from my former life again." Elizabeth said, "Is that what you want? My promise to never see them again? Fine, you have it. You can move us...out of the country even, just please give me my children back."

For the first time, Webb felt a twinge of sympathy as he witnessed the desperation of a Mother who had lost her children. Awkwardly, he reached out to hold Elizabeth's hand. This time she didn't flinch. Instead, she looked at him wearily, with the hopelessness of her life finally hitting her.

'You really don't have them, do you?' Elizabeth asked, weakly.

"No. I'm afraid we don't."

* * *

><p>"I need to call my superiors. We're going to get the children back, but that means you're going to have to trust us and cooperate with us." Webb said.<p>

Elizabeth nodded, "Of course. I'll give you some privacy."

Pulling her robe around her shoulders, Elizabeth left the living room, pausing at the door to ensure that Webb was occupied before hastily tiptoeing to the kitchen and grabbing her lifeline. With a final glimpse at the living room, Elizabeth eased open the back door and gently let it close behind her. As she desperately tapped the numbers, Elizabeth found that her hands were shaking and leant against the cool exterior of the wall to calm herself.

"Hello." Jack O'Neill said, in a bored tone.

"Jack...oh god, I don't know where to start. It's the kids; they've been taken, and the IOA have turned up...and I just don't know what to do."

"Hey, hey, hey, Elizabeth calm down. The kids have been taken?" Jack said, suddenly sounding very alert.

"Yes," Elizabeth said, in a hollow yelp, "Webb says it wasn't the IOA, but I don't know what to think, I'm so scared...I need you Jack, I need you to come back and I hate to ask, but..."

"You don't even need to ask Elizabeth. This is Livie and Johnny we're talking about, I'll be on the next available flight to Phoenix."

"Thank you Jack."

Before Jack could reply, Elizabeth ended to call and stuffed the cell into her pocket and quickly slipped through the kitchen door. As much as she knew that she needed Jack, she wasn't sure that the IOA would agree. Once she was in the kitchen, with nothing or no one to take her mind off the desperate situation she found herself in, Elizabeth found herself welling up again and she reached for the packet of fruit loops which her children should have been eating breakfast from, but was stopped in her tracks as Webb entered the room.

"My superiors have authorized the resources in order to search for the children." Webb said.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said weakly.

"They also appreciate that this is very difficult for you, but the circumstances of this...crime _must _stay between you and our organization. Do you understand?"

"I do." Elizabeth said, without a flicker.

At this point, Elizabeth really didn't care if she was defying the IOA or not. What she cared about was her children, and Jack was the person who she trusted to bring them home, not the men in the suits.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Elizabeth was very tense and edgy. She did her best to do things that would not remind her of the twins. Which she wasn't doing very well at.<p>

Webb was in and out all day. While he was there, she answered the questions he asked her clearly and to the point. Elizabeth wasn't in the mood to bandy about words while her children were missing.

At around six, Webb left for the night. Elizabeth barely noticed his leaving. A short time after he left, she heard a knock at the door. Immediately she jumped up from the sofa, realising that, unless Webb had decided to return for more interrogation and awkward silences, the person on the other side of the door was Jack.

Except it wasn't.

The _people _on the other side of the door were Jack and John, and seeing _him_, was a painful reminder that she simply wasn't ready to face. Folding her arms across her chest, Elizabeth's eyes fell, accusingly, on Jack.

"How could you bring him? Do you want to make things worse?"

"Quite the opposite actually; whether you like it or not, he is their father and he has a right to be here." Jack said firmly.

"And the IOA already know about our little 'vacation'. It isn't going to take them long to work out that you're here again." Elizabeth said urgently.

"Excellent. If the cat's out of the bag, we can camp here for the night. We're more used to you here than stuck in some hotel." Jack said.

With that, Jack smiled at Elizabeth and walked past Elizabeth into the house with a bag in his hand. Elizabeth looked to John and opened her mouth to say something...anything, but without looking at her, he followed Jack into the house knocking her aside with his own bag. As she watched his retreating figure, Elizabeth felt a small pang of longing to feel close to him, but this was overshadowed by the realization that she had let him down in an unforgivable way.

Instead of following the men, Elizabeth busied herself with organizing blankets, too exhausted to put the effort or emotion into trying to gage how John currently felt towards her. Clutching the blankets, she found that every turn held some reminder or memory of the twins and, begrudgingly, she was relieved to have the company of the two men who were waiting pensively for her, in the basement with their bags already placed individually on each sofa. After throwing the blankets into the arms of each man, Elizabeth perched on the arm of the sofa, staring at a small worn patch on the carpet and told them everything in a tone that didn't register her true emotions, because if she allowed those emotions to register in her monologue, there was little chance it would be completed. Despite this, the watery glow in Elizabeth's eyes and the grey complexion of her cheeks gave away her true feeling to both men, and rather than ask her the questions they so wanted the answers to, they both bid her goodnight, letting down their guards enough to each embrace her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: Help has arrived. Could you all participate in a poll on my profile which will help me decide whether something may happen at the end of this story? **


	12. What Kind of Choice is This?

**Chapter XI: What Kind of Choice is This?**

**A/N: This chapter was particularly fun to write with IzzieStar. So much happens in it. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>By the time Webb's black Volvo S80 pulled into the drive, Elizabeth, John and Jack had spent over an hour retracing the night the twins had been taken, noting down times and checking the house for any sign of a break in. It was a process that Webb had already undertaken the previous day, but helped them to know that they were doing something that could give them in a lead. With Webb's arrival though, they stopped and waited for the inevitable anger that was coming in their direction. In an attempt to deflect this from Elizabeth, Jack insisted on answering the door, but this only served to provoke Webb as he was greeted with the knowledge that Elizabeth had gone back on the promise which he had pushed her into agreeing to. Instead of replying to Jack's greeting, Webb barged past him and stormed into the living room, his hands on his hips pushing his jacket back just enough to reveal the gun on his belt.<p>

"Our cooperation in finding your children was dependent on you keeping their disappearance to yourself." Webb said, icily.

"Well, we happened to be in the neighborhood and thought we could drop in to lend a hand. Did I mention that I'm a two-star General?" Jack asked politely.

Webb turned to Jack, "I already know all I need to know about you General O'Neill. The same applies to you Colonel Sheppard, and I have to say that you being here is not the kind of help that the IOA wants or needs."

"That's a shame because you're gonna be getting it whether you like it or not." John said, firmly.

"I don't like it. I don't like it one bit, and I'm pretty sure my superiors won't either." Webb said, taking his cell out of his pocket.

"Go ahead, ring 'em. Tell them I send my regards." Jack said, with a smile.

With a glare at Jack, Webb marched back out of the room, clutching his phone, and watching through the window, Elizabeth watched him speaking into the cell in a flurry of angry lip movements, occasionally kicking his heels against the ground.

"You're going to have to go and check in to a hotel. The last thing I need is for you two to go up against the IOA." Elizabeth said, with a pointed look.

"It's not going to come to that. I'm going to talk to him." John said.

Before Elizabeth could protest, John followed Webb and waited, leaning against his car, knowing that Webb would rather end the conversation than risk him listening. His prediction proved to be correct as Webb quickly made his excuses and slid his cell back into his jacket and turning to face John. To assert his presence, John pushed himself off the car and stood facing Webb, with less than a meter separating them.

"I think it would be advisable that you inform your superiors that you think it would be to advantage that we stay." John said, casually.

"Is that right?" Webb said, looking highly amused.

"You see we have contacts too, and I don't think they'd be too impressed with the treatment Elizabeth has had to face. I think they'd be so unimpressed that they might decide that Elizabeth doesn't need to remain under IOA supervision any longer."

It was subtle, and it was brief, but John saw a flicker of fear in Webb's eyes at the thought of Sheppard's threat. His years of training meant that he was quickly able to assert his arrogance though, with a defiant laugh and shake of the head. It was too late though; Sheppard knew he had Webb worried enough to ensure that they could stay.

"You think that I don't know why you're _so _interested in the welfare of Elizabeth's children?" Webb sneered.

It was John's turn to experience that momentary convulsion of fear as he uneasily met Webb's eye.

"We've known since the birth of the children that you're the father. Those compulsory DNA samples for all SGC personnel came in handy."

"I guess the congratulations card got lost in the mail." John said, sarcastically.

He should have been angry that the IOA had known, but he had already wasted so much anger on his lost years of fatherhood that sarcasm was much easier to fall back on. Not to mention, that his surprise that IOA hadn't informed him felt like nothing compared to the shock that both Jack and Elizabeth had kept the truth from him. Now, it was all history, and all that mattered was getting back his children.

* * *

><p>At the same time, but in Washington, Samantha Carter found herself in a similar frame of mind, unable to take her mind off the missing twins. Over the screen of her laptop, she watched Rodney McKay getting increasingly frustrated with the calculations for the project he was working on. The recent years which had seen them working together had taught Sam that it was for the best to leave Rodney to himself at times like this, but she couldn't quite shake off the sense of duty she felt that she had to tell Rodney about the predicament Elizabeth found herself in. The moment he had returned to work the previous day, he had set about making his displeasure at Sam not telling him that Elizabeth was still alive, and had given birth to the children of 'Kirky Boy', more than clear, and Sam wasn't thrilled at a similar prospect if Rodney was to discover the truth from about the twins from elsewhere. Not to mention, that Jack had dropped some not-so subtle hints that Rodney's skills might come in useful.<p>

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Sam asked with a smile.

Rodney looked up with an expression of confusion which soon settled into a look suspicion.

"Why would you offer to help? You never offer to help." Rodney said.

"That's because you usually tell me that you don't need it." Sam replied.

"Well, as it happens, I don't."

"Okay then. I was just going to get a coffee if you'd like one." Sam said, with the same strained smile.

At this, Rodney folded down the screen of his laptop and folded his arms, eying Sam with suspicion verging on contempt.

"What is it? What's going on?" He demanded.

Hesitantly, Sam stood up and moved to the stool beside Rodney, causing him to unconsciously lean away from her and fold his arms even tighter. Normally Sam would have called Rodney out on this, but it didn't feel like the time or the place in light of what she was about to tell him.

"Oh God, you're not dying are you?" Rodney asked.

Sam's jaw involuntarily dropped, "No I am not dying Rodney."

"Well, that's...good. So what is it?" Rodney said, awkwardly.

"It's about Elizabeth and the children..." Sam started.

"Please tell me that John hasn't done something ridiculous and proposed." said Rodney.

"Rodney! Could you just shut up for two seconds? No, John has not proposed," Sam said, exasperated by his continuous interruptions, "the night you all returned home, JJ and Olivia were taken. They've been kidnapped. John and Jack are there..."

"Kidnapped? Crap. I need to get over there," Rodney said, standing up, "Where's my cell? I need to call Carson."

Clumsily, Rodney started rifling through the papers on his desk, anxiously searching for his cell. Rather than calm him down, Sam joined him in the hunt, realizing that he wouldn't be deterred from his personal mission. Eventually she found it, dropped onto the floor beside the waste-paper bin and passed it to Rodney who grabbed it from her hand, without a thank you, and marched from the laboratory to the rest room, clutching the phone to his ear, waiting for Carson's reply.

"Hello, Doctor Beckett speaking." Carson said, from the other end of the line.

"Carson, it's me. Something terrible has happened; Elizabeth's kids...Elizabeth _and _John's kids have been taken. We need to get over there. When can you meet me at the airport?"

"Rodney, slow down. This is terrible news, but we have to treat it sensitively. How do we even know that John and Elizabeth want us there?" Carson asked, gently.

"Of course they want us there! The old team together again." Rodney stressed.

"Rodney, I really do think we should check with John and Elizabeth first."

"Don't be ridiculous. The sooner we get there the better. Sheppard and O'Neill will have put down the groundwork, but they're going to need us." Rodney stressed.

"Okay, okay. I can be at the airport in a couple of hours, just promise me that you'll call John or Elizabeth first." Carson warned.

"Yes, of course, I'll call them."

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Rodney was so preoccupied with preparing for their 'rescue mission' that he forgot to ring either, and when Carson and Rodney eventually turned up at Elizabeth's house in the midst of arguing over the map, both John and Elizabeth were stunned as they filled the doorframe side by side.<p>

"Did you invite them?" Elizabeth asked, turning to John.

"I had no idea." John said.

While Rodney smiled at John and Elizabeth in a way that was supposed to be sympathetic, but mostly made him look condescending, Carson turned to Rodney in exasperation. He realised that Rodney was in one of his most determined moods ever, but he had expected, well _hoped_, that Rodney would listen to him in the circumstances. It was these very circumstances under that Carson decided to let it pass and instinctively take Elizabeth's hand, eyes full of empathy.

"I can't imagine what you're going though love." He said.

Feeling the threat of tears once again, Elizabeth didn't respond but just nodded, trying to look anywhere other than Carson's eyes. Thankfully, her attention was quickly taken by Rodney slapping his hands together, with a look of expectation.

"So what's the plan?" Rodney asked.

"The plan?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"To get the kids back; that's why we're here."

"And to offer our emotional support, of course." Carson said, surreptitiously nudging Rodney.

"We need to know where they are before we can get them back." John said, tensely, conscious of Elizabeth's present emotional fragility.

"Not to mention we have the IOA watching out every move." Jack said, nodding at the surveillance trailer that had arrived at some point during the afternoon, as he walked into the hallway, "Good to see you guys."

It seemed that his 'suggestion' to Sam that it would be useful to have somebody like McKay would be good to have around had paid off, and he made a mental note to thank her if...when they were able to bring the twins safely home. As much as he was reluctant to let on to Elizabeth, Jack was becoming increasingly worried about the twins, sure that whoever had taken them should have had tried to contact them in _some _way. Occasionally, he caught John staring at the mailbox with a concentrated expression of concern, and he suspected that John was having similar thoughts. Neither of them admitted it though, and both continued to concentrate on ensuring that Elizabeth didn't fall into complete despair and trying to work out the motives for taking the children. Part of Jack still suspected that the IOA were behind it, but the more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense.

After Elizabeth had set Rodney and Carson up in the living room, using up the last of her blankets and pillows, she joined the men in the kitchen, sat around the table muttering between themselves. It irked her slightly that she had been sent off to find bedding while they talked 'tactics' when, once upon a time; she had been the person at the head of the table that John, Rodney and Carson had all looked to. She didn't show it though, and slipped into the seat beside Carson, mustering all her efforts into a smile.

"I'm afraid you've got the least comfortable sofas in the house." Elizabeth said.

For a moment, Rodney looked as though he was about to form some sort of complaint, but with one look from O'Neill he immediately backed down and thanked Elizabeth for her hospitality, hoping she appreciated the risk her sofa was posing to his back.

"Have you arranged some sort of search?" Carson asked.

"Sheppard and I took out the car and drove round the town this afternoon, but the IOA seem to think they have it covered." Jack said.

"What about posters?" Rodney asked.

"Posters?" Elizabeth inquired.

"You know, 'have you seen these children?' sort of thing." Rodney continued.

"That's actually not a bad idea." John commented.

"Elizabeth, do you have a recent picture we can use?" Jack inquired.

Elizabeth nodded, and stood up, almost dreading the moment she would open the box and be faced with the faces of her children. From the top of the bookshelf, she reached for the box of photographs which she hadn't bought albums for yet and placed it down on the table, as far away from her as possible, hoping that somebody else would be the person to pull the lid from the box. As it happened, it was Rodney, who couldn't wait to put his plan into action. At the top of the pile, was a picture of the twins sat behind a cake in the shape of space rocket. Seeing the picture, John took the picture with a wistful smile, studying the obvious delight in their faces.

"I didn't know you could bake." Rodney commented.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Elizabeth said, with a raise of an eyebrow.

Ignoring Rodney and Elizabeth, John looked the picture for a few more seconds before turning it over. Written across the back of the photo was '14th February'.

"They were born on Valentine's Day?" John said, looking up at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked up at John, their eyes locking, and smiled, "Yes."

Across the table, Rodney snickered, "Well it's a good thing you guys aren't together or every Valentine's Day would officially be ruined for the next twelve years." That comment earned him a glare from Jack, which he ignored.

Hearing this comment, Elizabeth broke eye contact with John and picked out a photo of the twins which was focused on their faces, commenting, "This one is suitable."

With a picture chosen, Rodney and Jack stationed themselves at the computer desk, squabbling over the most minimal details of the poster, while John attempted to persuade Webb that having Rodney and Carson around would work in their favor, which he reluctantly accepted. This left Elizabeth in the kitchen with Carson, who didn't say a word, but made her a sandwich, gently stating that the needed to make sure she was strong for the children. Reluctantly, Elizabeth ate the sandwich, but she found that with every mouthful she felt a little bit more nauseous, and welcomed the distraction of Rodney moaning that printer was out of paper.

When they had printed off about a hundred posters, Rodney, Carson and Jack set off in the car ready to stick the posters around town. After waving them off and John had gone off somewhere, Elizabeth felt her body aching for rest, emotionally exhausted, but she found that she daren't allow herself to stop. So she found herself stood in front of the kettle watching the increasing ripples as it came to the boil, clutching a jar of coffee so tightly that her knuckles were beginning to ache. As the kettle clicked, Elizabeth released the coffee and turned to the fridge for milk, catching a glimpse of a dark spiky hair through the back door which momentarily gave her a trembling sense of hope before she realised it was the hair of John Senior.

With the milk in her hand, Elizabeth grabbed another mug, and poured out two strong coffees, the way she had made it during those late nights of crises in Atlantis. After returning the milk to the fridge, Elizabeth picked up the mugs and eased the door open with her elbow, her eyes hesitantly meeting John's as he turned around in surprise, accepting the mug which she offered. Behind her, she closed the door and sat beside John on the step, their legs gently touching.

"How are you?" John asked, softly.

Elizabeth looked at him, struck by the caring tone of his voice, "I'm scared."

Struck by the sense of weakness that he had never witnessed in Elizabeth before, John looked away into the depth of his mug, tilting it to catch the reflection of the moon.

"Me too." He admitted.

With this, John turned to face Elizabeth and slipped his hand into hers, conscious that words couldn't really give her the comfort that she, and he, both so desperately needed.

"I should have called you." Elizabeth said, after a pause.

"Yes, you should've. I shouldn't have had to find out from Jack."

"Again." Elizabeth added.

"Again." John confirmed.

"I'm sorry John, for everything. It's been hard for me, to let go, to let you in...but I want to." Elizabeth said, hesitantly.

"Well, you're here, and you're making me awful coffee again so we're getting there." John said, with a slight smile.

"Awful coffee?" Elizabeth asked, affronted, but smiling for the first time all day.

"Yeah, I thought it was best not to say back in Atlantis, what with you being my boss _and _my girlfriend. Sorry." John admitted, sheepishly.

"Don't be, I'm touched, in a way." Elizabeth said.

To demonstrate this, she reached for the mug from John's hands and tipped the contents into the potted plant beside her, sighing as she remembered watching the twins water the plants in the mornings.

"We'll get them back. I promise." John whispered, squeezing her hand.

* * *

><p>Beside him, Elizabeth nodded and rubbed her eyes, which were surrounded by dark rings. Squeezing her hand again, John suggested that she should go and have a bath to relax, and although she attempted to put up a fight, she quickly gave into the gentle firmness in John's tone and left him in the garden.<p>

Alone, John stood up and strolled around the house to the front garden where his attention was taken by the bird feeder which his children had seemingly made from the way their names were spelled out on it. Across the garden, on the drive, he observed Webb leave the surveillance trailer and get into his car and start the engine, lighting up the street before him. John looked across the overgrown garden of the opposite house, under the glare of Webb's headlights and noticed a woman in the window, not noticing him, but watching the car. As he watched her absent-mindedly play with a strand of blonde hair, he couldn't help but get the feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before. Edging closer to the edge of the garden, John continued to watch the woman in the darkened house, as Webb's car moved towards the edge of the drive. The woman looked up into the full glare of the lights from the edge of the window, and John felt a sinking feeling as he remembered the last times he had set eyes on that woman. At the time, as he received his wallet from her, in the hotel lobby, he had been struck by her beauty, now the only thought that struck him was that somehow she was involved in the kidnap of his children, and that she was the lead to getting them back.

Inside he was shaken, worried, but when he returned to the house he had regained his Colonel composure, and positioned himself in the living room behind a book where he could watch the opposite house. While he was seemingly engrossed in his book, John was frequently raising his eyes to the window through which he'd seen the lady from the hotel, not once moving his head or giving any indication that anything was afoot. Behind the safety of what was a children's encyclopedia, John was recalling the details of his acquaintance with the woman, remembering the kind smile as she had returned his wallet. His wallet. Wriggling slightly, John reached into his back pocket for his wallet and rifled through it, looking for some form of tracking device. There wasn't, and John threw it down onto the coffee table and returned to his watch from behind the book.

He was waiting, but for what, he wasn't entirely sure. Even though he was increasingly convinced that this woman was behind the kidnap of JJ and Olivia, he severely doubted that they were in the house across the road, knowing them well enough to realize that they would have kicked up sufficient fuss to gain their attention, which led to even more questions in the midst of the predicament he was in the middle of. Still, they had a lead, and that was more than they had half an hour.

When Elizabeth found her way into the living room, with damp hair and wearing her pyjamas, her attention was immediately taken by the book in John's hands and she raised her eyebrow.

"You're reading up on monkeys?" Elizabeth asked, bemused.

John looked up at the wide-eyed confusion in Elizabeth's eyes, and briefly toyed with the possibility of keeping his suspicions from her, knowing how devastated she would be if they proved to be incorrect, but knew that he couldn't. Parenthood, so far, for him had been tainted by lies and secrets and he knew that, if they stood a chance of making whatever this was work, this had to stop, starting now.

"Err, yes. Elizabeth, I think you should sit down." John said.

Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth eased herself into the chair and facing John, and laughed nervously, "What is it John?"

"Tonight, when I was in the garden, I noticed something...someone in the house opposite..."

"That house has been empty since we moved here." Elizabeth said.

"It wasn't tonight, and I recognized the woman. She was at the hotel." John said, meeting Elizabeth's eyes.

"Dani?" Elizabeth demanded.

"No, don't be ridiculous. You probably didn't even notice her; she passed me my wallet back in the lobby, and I'm pretty sure that it was her in the house."

Instinctively, Elizabeth turned her head to the window, but John grasped her arm, causing her to turn back, "If she's watching us, the last thing we need is for her to know we're onto her."

"And you expect me to sit here, knowing that a person who may have taken my children could be right across the road?" Elizabeth demanded.

"For now, yes. We need to know what we're dealing with first." John stressed.

"Dealing with?" Jack asked, walking into the living room.

"We've got a lead."

Hearing this Rodney marched into the room, "We need to get after them."

"For Christ's sake Rodney." Carson muttered, with a roll of the eyes.

"Wait up. Lead?" Jack asked John.

"We're being watched from the house opposite – Rodney don't you dare turn around – and I remembered seeing the woman at the hotel." John said, earnestly.

"Trust you to notice a woman. I bet she's hot, isn't she?" Rodney said, cynically.

Each person in their room rolled their eyes, but nevertheless, Elizabeth, Jack and Carson turned their eyes to John expectantly, suspecting that Rodney was correct.

"She's...attractive, I guess, but that isn't the point." John said, defensively.

"No, it isn't," Elizabeth said, "We need to work out some sort of plan of action."

"Involving our little friends?" Jack said, nodding at the trailer.

Guiltily, they each looked around the room at each other, simultaneously having the same thought; a thought that didn't involve informing the IOA.

"That answers that question. I think we need to keep a watch on her tonight and follow her, before she figures out we're onto her. John and I will gear up, and wait in the car. Carson, Rodney and Elizabeth, you guys keep a watch out from here and call us when you see her leave the house. As soon as you make that call, Carson I want you to distract the guys in the trailer so we can get away without being noticed." Jack said.

"No way are you leaving me here. I'm coming with you guys."

'Rodney, this could very quickly turn dangerous...' John began.

"And how many times have I saved your ass in dangerous situations? You should be begging me to come with you." Rodney said, smugly.

"He has a point John." Elizabeth said.

"Fine, you can come with us." John said.

'Great, I brought my old Atlantis tactical vest, just in case.' Rodney said, positively grinning.

* * *

><p>While John, Jack and Rodney snuck through the garden and prepared for their 'mission', as Rodney had so eagerly named it, Elizabeth and Carson took up their position on the sofa, pretending to watch the television, each with their eyes firmly on the house opposite. After about five minutes of neck ache from holding their heads so rigidly, both jumped as Carson's phone vibrated into life with a message from Rodney that they managed to get past the IOA trailer without being noticed. Exchanging a relieved smile, both Carson and Elizabeth resumed their watches.<p>

Although they had all hoped that their new 'neighbor' would leave the house soon, after two hours there hadn't been a hint of any movement from the house and, becoming increasingly frustrated, John decided on a new tactic. With the clock approaching midnight, he called Elizabeth with instructions to turn off all the lights in the house, but remain on watch from the living room, hoping that their 'neighbor' would be tricked into believing that they had all gone to bed and that was nothing for her to watch. Elizabeth and Carson assented to this and turned off the lights in the house, before tiptoeing across the living room floor to watch through the slight crack they had left in the curtains, joking about their 'stakeout' to cover both their fears.

The time continued to tick by, and Elizabeth was close to giving up hope when she saw a reflection light from the street light on the numbers of the door opposite as it was opened, revealing the silhouette of a woman. Immediately, she picked up the phone, whilst ushering Carson to the IOA trailer, and urgently told the men that their target had finally appeared, ending the call with an anxious 'good luck'.

From inside the car, both John and Jack gritted their teeth as Rodney began a frantic stream of panicked whispers as the woman walked from the house to a car about fifty yards along the side-walk, not once turning in their direction. As the engine of her car revved, Jack eased his own car forward to gage the direction she took when she reached the end of the road. Witnessing her take a left turn, Jack hit the accelerator and followed her through the darkened roads of Sedona, carefully maintaining a safe distance between the two cars. Following the car through to the outskirts of the town, Jack was relieved when he was the car pull into the car park of an abandoned warehouse, and immediately parked the car on the road, knowing that it couldn't be seen from the warehouse.

The three men gently ran down the side of the road, Rodney holding his hand pistol in front of him, making their way to the warehouse. Coming closer to the dimly lit building, in the darkness, they were irritated as they lost view of the woman, but they continued towards the building. When they reached the perimeter of the building, O'Neill motioned for them to crouch under the cover of a bush where he harshly whispered orders to follow him to find an entrance to the building. Yet, as they circled the perimeter of the building, they were perplexed as they discovered that there _wasn't _an entrance to the building. Not one that was accessible anyway, with all of the rusted doors to facility fused to their frames.

"Looks like we're going to have to blow the doors." Jack said, reaching into his vest for C4.

"No, wait. I brought this with me." Rodney said, reaching into his rucksack, and pulling out a small extendable periscope.

"Aren't you quite the prepared little adventurer?" Jack said, with an amused look at Rodney.

Ignoring Jack and pushing up onto his tiptoes, Rodney lifted the periscope to the edge of the window and put his eye to it. Immediately, he stumbled back, dropping the periscope and bringing about concerned looks from Jack and John who reached to steady him.

"This can't be right. My plan should have wiped them out for good!" Rodney stuttered.

"What are you talking about?" John asked, urgently.

"They're replicators."

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: Now you know who's kidnapped the twins. What could replicators possibly want with two six year olds?**


	13. What Kind of Choice is This? part 2

**Chapter XII: What Kind of Choice is This? Part 2**

**A/N: This is the second part of the previous chapter. I hope you like it. IzzieStar has helped a lot. Thanks! Enjoy the story. She-Demon**

* * *

><p>"If you're..." John began, warningly.<p>

"Do you think I'd joke about something like this?" Rodney snapped, impatiently.

Taken aback by Rodney's tone, John looked hesitantly to O'Neill, knowing what this meant for both them and the children; an almost impossible battle to return them home. Mostly though, he was exhausted and confused. Exhausted, because the first glimmer of hope they'd had saw the horizon blurred with further darkness, and confused because he simply didn't understand _why_. What did the replicators have to achieve in the kidnap of two innocent six-year old children?

"We need to get out of here." O'Neill said firmly.

"My children could be inside that building." John said in a low tone.

"I can't let you risk going in there yet." Jack said, placing a hand on John's shoulder.

John turned to look at the dimly lit window and sighed, before nodding and turning to follow Rodney and Jack back to the car. For the duration of the journey back to the house, not a single person in the car uttered a word, too focused on their own patterns of thought on their discovery. Occasionally, Rodney opened his mouth, ready to stress his fear and annoyance that these replicators had survived, but he immediately closed it again as various possibilities for defeating these replicators occurred to him.

When they pulled into the drive, John immediately saw Elizabeth watching with both anxiety and hope in her face and his heart sunk, knowing that the only news he could bring was bad. Perhaps it was easier that the news, to an extent, was broken to Elizabeth when they exited the car and Elizabeth realized that the children weren't with them, but it didn't ease the mingled sense of fear and guilt that John felt as he entered the living room.

"They weren't there." Elizabeth said, hollowly, unable to meet his eye.

From his seated position, Carson rose and quietly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him to allow them the privacy which he suspected they needed. With the click of the door closing, John stepped towards Elizabeth so he was facing her.

"We don't know." John admitted.

For the first time since he had returned, Elizabeth looked up at John, "I don't understand."

"We followed the woman to a building inhabited by replicators."

"How...how is that even possible?" Elizabeth said, frowning in sheer perplexity.

"I'm sure Rodney has probably come up with a dozen explanations already." John said.

"What if they found them through me?"

Both John and Elizabeth's eyes met as she vocalized the thought that had crossed both of their minds, and sensing their mutual pain, John placed a hand on Elizabeth's cheek.

"If they wanted the children bad enough, they would always have found them. What matters now is that we bring them home." John said, gently.

"We should come up with some sort of plan." Elizabeth said.

"No, firstly, we should get some rest. We're going to need Rodney and he tends to work better when he's had his full eight hours." John said, smiling slightly.

"Come to bed with me. I can't face being alone." Elizabeth requested, gently.

When the other men had taken themselves off to bed under John's firm orders, he tiptoed up the stairs and gently opened the door to Elizabeth's bedroom, closing it behind him. His eyes not leaving Elizabeth's, he slipped into bed beside her, and pulled her body into his arms, resting his chin against her forehead. Both fell asleep in that position. The intimacy of their touch was not borne out of romance or even lust, but of a deeper longing to ease the pain and fear they both felt.

Downstairs, Jack looked across the, empty, adjacent sofa and sighed, knowing exactly where John was, and more importantly, whose bed he was sharing. Somehow, it reminded him of Sam, and the look of disappointment, mingled with understanding, in her eyes as he had left. Still, this wasn't the time to reflect on that, and Jack flicked the switch of the lamp, filling the room with darkness.

* * *

><p>When they awoke the next morning, neither John, Jack, or Elizabeth made reference to the previous night's sleeping arrangements; in the reality of daylight it didn't seem important or relevant. Instead, their attention was taken by Rodney, surrounded by various plates and mugs, tapping away at his laptop in his pyjamas. As John opened his mouth to question what exactly was going on, Rodney, without taking his eyes off the screen, lifted a finger and continued tapping at the keyboard with his other hand. John looked to Elizabeth who raised her eyebrows, but didn't say a word. After another minute or so of frantic tapping, Rodney looked up to his expectant audience and smiled, leaning back in his chair.<p>

"Would you care to enlighten us?" Elizabeth said.

"I've been up since four – oh that reminds me Elizabeth, you're out of coffee – anyway, I've been working on a program that will, all going well, wipe every code in the nanites."

"And how exactly do you plan to upload this?" Jack asked.

"He plans to use me." Elizabeth said knowingly.

"Isn't that a little risky?" John said, give Rodney a pointed look.

"Quite the opposite actually. Given that I was the person that programmed Elizabeth's nanites in the first place, I have made some amendments that, as well as being able to access and neutralize the replicators, should prevent anybody from tampering with Elizabeth's nanites again. Namely the IOA, but it should also stop the replicators from taking preventative measures against the program." Rodney said smugly.

"That's bloody brilliant." Carson said.

"Yes it is." Rodney confirmed.

"How long?" John asked.

"With more coffee, I should have it done within forty-eight hours."

"Forty-eight hours?" Jack asked.

"Would you like to try writing this program in a shorter time? No? I didn't think so." Rodney snapped.

"I'll leave you to it." Jack said.

"I think I'm going to head to the store, get a few things in. Anybody want to come along for the ride?" John asked.

"I'll come." Carson offered.

With John and Carson out of the house, Elizabeth decided to get on with some housework, but ultimately gave up on the idea after struggling with the tangled wire on the Hoover and set down across from Jack at the kitchen table, listening to the monotonous tap of Rodney's work from the dining room. Although it had crossed him mind, more than once, Jack privately decided not to question Elizabeth about the sleeping arrangements from the previous night. Elizabeth was not so reserved about discussing the more private matters that existed in their lives.

"You've been quiet since you got here." Elizabeth observed.

"It's been tough on all of us."

"Yes, it has," Elizabeth said quietly, "but I can't help but wonder that there's something more going on with you."

Jack looked as Elizabeth hesitantly, knowing how much pressure she was under already, observing the warm concern in her eyes. He couldn't overstate how much he admired her strength; whatever happened to her, she was always able to pick herself up and keep fighting.

"It's Sam," Jack said, reluctantly, "I don't think she was too happy about me coming back here. I think she thinks I'm having some sort of mid-life crisis."

"Are you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, firstly, I'm a little past mid-life, and secondly, of course not. You know, this is what we do." Jack said.

"You're here out of choice." Elizabeth said pointedly.

"I happen to care a lot for those kids. Not to mention, you and John are both so pig-headed that I had to step into the role of go-between." Jack said, grinning.

"I forgot to thank you. For bringing him. Again." Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, I'm kinda hoping that one day he'll be able to visit without me holding his hand. It's getting embarrassing." Jack teased.

Despite herself, Elizabeth laughed, prompting an annoyed tirade from Rodney about the conditions he was working under and how they might spare a moment to think of the 'genius' as he, so succinctly, put it. Guiltily, but silently amused, Jack and Elizabeth exchanged a glance and both made the decision to busy themselves with something that was silent. For Elizabeth, this meant entering the twins' room for the first time. Facing the reminder of their absence, as she sat on Olivia's crumpled bed; Elizabeth felt the trace of silent tears down her face. In some ways, she found it helped to relinquish her control and give into her pain, but in others, she found she was taunting herself with her failure to keep her children safe. Through her tears though, Elizabeth was here for a reason; hope. The chance that the children were coming home meant that they needed a bedroom which wasn't an exhibition of the sheer pain and terror of their mother, so she smoothed their bedding and replaced the clothes on their hangers in the closet, as she had done so many times before and would, she vowed, do so many times again.

By the time that John and Carson returned, Elizabeth had washed her face and dabbed her face with powder, hoping to cover the pale tone of her face; anything to stop the pitying looks.

"Blondie followed us." John said, as Elizabeth came into the kitchen.

"She did?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, she kept a reasonable distance away, but I had a feeling she'd follow us." John shrugged.

"While this gossiping is simply delightful, did you get the coffee?" Rodney barked, marching into the kitchen.

"Rodney, maybe you should take an hour; have a shower, get some rest..." Carson suggested.

"Of course, I'll just kick back and rest while you all work out how to neutralize the complexities of nanite coding." Rodney said sarcastically.

"Point taken." John said.

"Thank you. I'll have a sandwich with my coffee." Rodney said, turning to leave.

"Rodney, I just wanted to say how much it means to me that you are doing this. Thank you." Elizabeth said.

Turning back slightly, Rodney smiled and nodded understandingly at Elizabeth before returning to dining room, where the constant tapping of keys started again. Letting John and Carson unpack the groceries, Elizabeth put her efforts into making Rodney various sandwiches which she hoped would sustain him for the afternoon.

* * *

><p>Forty-eight hours later, as Elizabeth was using up the last of a substantial amount of turkey in putting together <em>another<em> sandwich for an increasingly touchy Rodney, it occurred to her that Rodney's self-proclaimed deadline had come and passed. When she placed the sandwich on the table, Rodney's reply was slight grunt, and she chose not to query how things were going. Jack wasn't quite so respectful when it came to Rodney's feelings though and, after another altercation with Webb, decided to probe Rodney as to what exactly was going on.

"Like I said, this is very complicated Math. Not the sort of thing _you_ would understand." Rodney replied to Jack's questioning.

"This might have bypassed you, but I happen to be living with a pretty fine physicist." Jack snapped.

"Of course you are." Rodney muttered.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It's the oldest cliché in the book; pretty blonde lady falls for the emotionally stunted flyboy." Rodney sneered.

"You're calling me emotionally stunted? I mean have you once taken your head out of your ass for long enough to ask how Elizabeth is? Or John, your so-called best friend?" Jack snapped.

"I'm sorry; I've been too busy putting my efforts in saving the children." Rodney said, scornfully.

"Really? I'm not seeing any evidence." Jack replied.

Opening his mouth to word another reply, Rodney was stopped in his tracks by another knock at the door. Looking for an excuse to leave, John quickly dived into the hallway and opened the door, expecting Webb for the third time that day. Instead, he was faced with Blondie.

"Hello John. I think it is time that we have a conversation." Blondie stated.

"Where are they?" John growled.

"All in good time. May I enter your home?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice." She said, with a small smile.

He wasn't sure what it was about the woman..._replicator_, but something about her unnerved him. Perhaps it was the fact that he now knew for certain that she was behind the kidnap of his children, or perhaps it was the sweet way in which she had addressed him, so unlike his memories of arrogance synonymous with the replicators; he didn't know. All he did know was that he found himself feeling incredibly awkward and anxious and he guided Blondie into the dining room to join the group of people, amongst who, the tension was clear. Looking up, fury flashed across Elizabeth's eyes.

"You." Elizabeth said.

"I do not wish to fight with you Elizabeth." Blondie said, serenely.

"What is your name?" Carson asked, trying to break in before Elizabeth could respond.

"I am Ardala." She stated.

'Are you going to return my children?' Elizabeth demanded.

"Since it had become evident that you know of our existence, my leader believes that it is time that you should meet with him." Ardala said, ignoring Elizabeth.

"Answer her question." John growled.

"All would become much clearer if you were to meet with my leader."

"I won't agree to anything until you tell us how they are." Elizabeth said, firmly.

"Young John and Olivia are well. They are safe and have slept and fed well." Ardala said, smiling.

Hearing this Elizabeth smiled slightly, relief flooding her, "I will meet with your leader."

"Err; could you just give us a minute? I think we need to talk about this." John said, staring at Elizabeth.

Submitting to John's request Elizabeth left Ardala under the watchful eyes of Carson, Rodney and Jack in the dining room, already knowing what John was going to say and what her answer would be.

"We should both be there." John insisted.

"No, I need to know that if anything happens, our children will still have somebody fighting for them." Elizabeth said.

"Okay then, I'll go."

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head, "They can't hurt me, but they can hurt you. I _need_ to do this; I can't stay on the sidelines, hiding behind the IOA forever."

John knew that Elizabeth was right. Also she was probably getting a little stir crazy; she obviously wanted to do _something_ to help get their children back home safe and sound. And this was her area of expertise: negotiating. Except this would be different than any other negotiation she'd ever done before. Elizabeth would be negotiating for the twin's lives.

After a few more moments of talking with their eyes, John nodded.

Once they got back into the living room, Ardala smiled at them and asked,

"Did you reach a decision?"

Elizabeth answered,

"I will be the one to go and talk with your leader."

Ardala then said back,

"You can bring someone along if you want protection."

Elizabeth and John again had one of their eye conversations. Elizabeth tilted her head to the left, towards Jack. John nodded his acceptance.

"Jack do you feel up to coming along for the ride?"

"I'd love to." Which he said while glaring at Ardala.

"It's settled then. Please follow me in your car."

* * *

><p>Once they got to the building where the replicators were, Ardala said,<p>

"Please come in. The room straight down the hall is where our leader will see you."

Feeling Jack's hand squeeze her shoulder gently, Elizabeth looked up to see a male enter the small room. Watching him, warily, she was both surprised and relieved to witness that this person before her was not Oberoth. No, this was an altogether different prospect; with watery blue eyes and short, curly blonde hair, he reminded her of Niam, and the path upon which he had forced her life to take. It was a path which had brought her here today. Watching her with equal intrigue, the man bowed his head slightly.

"Welcome Elizabeth Weir. I am Kaleel of the Asurans. There is much for us to discuss." He stated, calmly.

"I'd like to see my children." Elizabeth said, bypassing the false pleasantries.

"Now is not the time," a smile came to Kaleel's eyes, "they are quite wonderful children Elizabeth, you should be very proud."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Kaleel, both confused and angry that he should choose to address her in such a way under the present circumstances. He didn't have a _right_ compliment her on her parenting skills when he was actively preventing her from fulfilling that duty. Years of experience had taught Elizabeth that negotiation was not dictated by emotion though, and she simply continued to stare into his eyes.

"I need to understand why." Elizabeth said.

Nodding, Kaleel slowly began pacing a small area of the floor, "It was never supposed to be this way. It was a vow among my people that the children of Elizabeth Weir and John Sheppard should be allowed to live a human life until late into their lives, but circumstances have such an unfortunate way of upsetting the plans we lay so very carefully, don't you agree?"

"How so?" Elizabeth asked.

"John Sheppard." Kaleel stated, simply.

"How about you cut the dramatic crap and get on with it?" Jack snapped.

Kaleel eyed Jack momentarily before resuming his pacing, "He is an impulsive man. I suppose you realize that he defied your request and persisted in his effort to relocate to Arizona?" Kaleel said.

A momentary feeling of anger gripped Elizabeth as she realized that not only had John defied her, but in doing so he had only proved her warning correct. Quickly though, Elizabeth's anger switched to Kaleel as she rationalized that what John had done had been for his family, while Kaleel had only acted to tear this family apart.

"You didn't?" Kaleel observed, "That is fascinating. However, that is not important. What is important is the realization of my people that our dream should never be fulfilled with the impulsive John Sheppard around; soon enough you would be gone. I am sorry Elizabeth. I am so very sorry."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him, "Dream?"

"Ascension. You more than anybody must understand the deepest longing of my people."

"I don't understand how the twins..."

"Really? I suspect that somehow you do." Kaleel asked.

Elizabeth considered what was so special about the children that they could have any unique value to a highly advanced race, and suddenly she realized.

"They are both you and your fathers."

Kaleel beamed and nodded, "They have both the physiological qualities of nanite technology and the gene, which I believe you call, 'Ancient'."

"I hate to break it to you, but the few nanites they do have are completely inert." Elizabeth said, cuttingly.

"They could never have survived without our own technology. They are our brothers." Kaleel stated.

"They are not your brothers. They will **never** be your brothers. They are _my_ children. Did you honestly expect me to listen to your story and let them go?" Elizabeth said, raising her voice slightly.

"No, and that is why I have invited you here today. It is of no benefit to either of us to continue to be locked in battle, running and hiding. Hurting even. I do not want for you to hurt Elizabeth. I want for you to be a Mother."

"They can come home?" Elizabeth asked, hopefully.

"Not quite. _One _of your children can return home. We will keep the other."

The offer hit Elizabeth like a punch to her gut. How was she supposed to choose between her children? Kaleel continued,

"Of course, this is a difficult choice for a mother to make, so we will give you 24 hours to decide."

* * *

><p>It was all Elizabeth could do to walk in a straight line back to the car after they left the warehouse. For the sake of the watching eyes from the warehouse though, Elizabeth held her head high and maintained her composure for the short journey. The illusion was broken as she sat beside Jack in the car and she held her head in her hands, gently tracing a path down to her wrist.<p>

As he took the steering wheel and drove back to the house, Jack frequently turned his head to look at her, occasionally opening his mouth to say something, but there was nothing. There was nothing that he could possibly say that could make this better; he knew that more than anybody. Her pain and devastation was a heartbreaking reminder of his own suffering all those years ago as he heard the sound of a single bullet. No, there was nothing that he or anybody could say. Instead, he reached across the car and squeezed her knee, hoping that in the midst of her pain, she knew that she was not alone. Elizabeth took her hands away from her eyes, and wiped them, realizing they were nearing home, and allowed her hand to reach for Jack's and the small sense of comfort that it gave to her.

She couldn't even consider the possibility of choosing between her children, but what hurt her most was the realization that she may never see one of them again. She knew that she would never make the decision to subject one of her beloved children to a life amongst replicators; spending eternity believing that they had been abandoned by their parents; but she dreaded the possibility that the decision could be taken out of her hands if she couldn't come to one.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Jack asked gently, as they pulled into the drive.

"I want to tell John." Elizabeth said quietly.

Jack nodded and they both looked to the house, sighing before they opened the doors of the car and began their procession to the house, when John was anxiously pacing the hallway as Elizabeth opened the door. Without saying a word, Elizabeth walked into the living room with John quickly following behind her. Instinctively, he reached out to Elizabeth and pulled her into him.

"Are they okay?" John asked, in a strained voice.

"I don't know. They said they are," Elizabeth looked up at John, "they want to keep one our children.

"Keep? What use is a kid to a replicator?" John asked, anger creeping into his tone.

"A lot of use it turns out. They think that...studying them will help them discover how to ascend." Elizabeth said.

"I hope you told them where to go." John said, angrily.

"Of course I told them where to go."

"I need to talk to Jack." John said, releasing Elizabeth and marching out of the room as she watched him helplessly.

When he entered the dining room, where Jack had communed with Rodney and Carson, he avoided the uncomfortable and sympathetic looks, completely focused on the task at hand. This had gone beyond negotiation, as much as Elizabeth would prefer using diplomacy to bring the children home; it was time for action.

"Can you give us a moment?" John said to Carson and Rodney.

Both left the room without taking their eyes off John, and as soon as they were out of the room, John could hear hurried whispers exchanged between them, shortly followed by them both entering the living room.

"Rodney needs to get that program finished." John said.

"I had the same thought myself." Jack said staring back at John.

"Maybe it's time to get him some...help." John said pointedly.

Realizing the meaning of John's words, Jack nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his jacket. John nodded back at him and left the room, closing the door behind him. Cycling through his contacts, Jack stopped at Sam's name and looked at the screen uneasily, before turning it over in his hands...Hell, it was worth a shot.

"I need some help." Jack said, as the ringing tone stopped and the call connected.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: Who has Jack called? Will the twins be rescued in time? What will happen after that? **


	14. The Calvary Arrives

**Chapter XIII: The Calvary Arrives**

**A/N: Many thanks to IzzieStar for this chapter. Hope everyone likes it! Sparky She-Demon.**

* * *

><p>When the small, blue Ford pulled into the drive, that atmosphere was somewhat lighter than it had been when Jack had made that phone call the previous day as the men had set aside their own worries and differences to support Elizabeth, who was looking increasingly worried and exhausted over the prospect that faced her. In light of this, John and Jack had silently agreed to keep their previous conversation unspoken, both concerned by how she would react if she had too much time to consider the proposition. For Jack though, there was an ulterior motive which was revealed as the door of the Ford opened to reveal Doctor Daniel Jackson.<p>

Immediately, the group who had convened to eat dinner on the lawn, looked to Jack for answers about this unexpected arrival, but the most piercing look of all was that of John's, which Jack skillfully ignored as he stood up to greet Daniel, who looked equally uneasy as he viewed the surprise on people's faces.

"Did you forget to tell them I was coming?" He muttered to Jack, as they shook hands.

Instead of replying, Jack simply smiled at him, in a knowing way, and stood back to allow him to say hello to the group and to reacquaint himself with Elizabeth, who he was delighted to see after all this time, despite the circumstances in which this was. After passing on his condolences to John and Elizabeth about this terrible situation, he gently turned the conversation between him and Elizabeth onto politics and, for the first time in days, Elizabeth looked genuinely animated and interested.

"Sam's sure changed in the last couple of months." John said, as he purposefully sidled up to Jack.

Jack looked to John and smiled guiltily, "I thought it was worth taking the risk of bringing in our resident ascension expert."

John opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Webb slamming the door of the trailer and marching across the lawn before stopping before them with his hands on his hips. Both Jack and John looked to each other and rolled their eyes at Webb's obvious and failing attempts to be imposing, before looking back to Webb with expressions of amused tolerance.

"I told you to clear it with me before bringing anybody else in on this." Webb said.

"Technically, we didn't know, so no harm done." Rodney said with a condescending smile.

"What do you mean you didn't know?" Webb spat.

"That would be my fault. I thought Doctor Jackson here could help with the search. I must have forgotten to mention it." Jack said, with a shrug.

"Anything else you've forgotten to mention? There seem to be a lot of comings and goings from this house." Webb said, icily.

"All part of the search." John said, stepping forward beside Jack.

"I suppose you don't have your inside knowledge now Doctor McKay has kindly disabled those sneaky little bugs that you had planted around the house." Jack said.

Hearing this, a red blush of anger and embarrassment rose to Webb's cheeks and after a disparaging stare in McKay's direction, he turned and stomped back to the trailer, slamming the door with a force that made the side of the vehicle shake. Despite themselves, the group couldn't help but chuckle slightly at Webb's petulance and seeming uselessness.

"You have to wonder what the hell they're doing in there." Jack said, shaking his head.

With that, they returned to the house, away from the glaring watch from behind the blacked-out windows of the trailer, where Jack left Daniel to explain why he had travelled over and why he thought it was worth talking to the replicators about ascension. Although she was dubious about Kaleel's openness over the matter, she couldn't deny that it was worth a shot, but on the condition that both she and Rodney escorted them, ready to activate the program at the first sign of trouble. This stance somewhat surprised John who had assumed that the program would only be a last resort for Elizabeth, preferring negotiation and the avoidance of weapons at all costs. It occurred to him that making sacrifices was what parenthood was all about.

* * *

><p>Despite his trepidation, given his previous experience with human-form replicators, Daniel politely declined Jack's offer of staying with him. He knew Jack well enough to know that he was the last person to be around when things needed to be taken slowly, with patience and consideration. Although Daniel was fairly certain that nobody was trained to deal with this kind of situation, asides from Oma perhaps, but her sacrifice had meant that simply wasn't possible.<p>

So he waited alone, the enormity of what this meeting could mean for not just John, Elizabeth and their children, but for their extended family. Even over the phone he could tell just how much the kidnapping of the twins had got to Jack. Soon, his thoughts were broken with the entrance of a party of five, led by a man with a nervous, welcoming smile.

"Welcome. I am Kaleel, the leader of my people." The man said.

"Doctor Daniel Jackson." Daniel said, brusquely.

"Would you care to take a seat?" Kaleel offered, indicating the single piece of furniture, a chair in which Daniel had already walked past to avoid.

"I'd rather stand."

"I sense your anger Doctor Daniel Jackson." Kaleel said, sadly.

"What else did you expect? You have taken two innocent children."

"And I have offered the safe return of one."

Daniel narrowed his eyes at Kaleel, "You think that makes it better? No parent can choose between their children, and no parent should be put in a position where they have to."

A flicker of hurt flashed across Kaleel's eyes, "I was trying to do the best for all. You have no idea..."

"Oh I have an idea alright. Jack filled me, and I am telling you that you will never be able to ascend." Daniel shouted.

"Because we are, as you call, replicators." Kaleel said, with a great sadness in his tone.

Daniel didn't know what it was, but something in that tone conveyed just how distressed Kaleel was, and Daniel felt a small pang of sympathy for them. He realized that this was why Jack had wanted him here, and he finally felt like he could fulfill the role that Jack has assigned him. He understood.

"No, because of what you have done to those children." Daniel admitted, softly.

Kaleel looked at Daniel and studied his face, "You are lying."

"No. No, I'm not. I ascended." Daniel admitted.

"You...you ascended." Kaleel asked, in wide-eyed amazement.

"I did, and that is how I know that the burden of what you have done means you will never ascend. I don't believe that your physical differences are the barrier from your dream. It is you own lack of self-worth. You have to believe that you are worthy of ascension."

Silence fell on the room as the party before Daniel looked to one another, expressions of confusion, guilt and shame coming to their faces.

"We have been our own demise," Kaleel looked up to Daniel in horror, "To think what we have done to that poor family."

Daniel instinctively reached out to Kaleel's shoulder and rested his hand on it, comfortingly. The look in Kaleel's eyes told Daniel all he needed to know. Before him was a man who had been incredibly desperate and who had done a terrible thing in order to end his desperation, but Kaleel was a fundamentally a good man, and Daniel felt and hoped that he was going to do the right thing. Kaleel turned his head slightly to the woman on his left.

"Bring the children. It is time for them to return to their family."

The woman remained where she stood and looked into his eyes searchingly, disappointment etched across her face. If Kaleel noticed, he didn't let him affect him and nodded slightly indicating for the woman to leave. After a moment, the woman returned Kaleel's nod and left them alone in the small room. Hesitantly, Daniel turned his head to face Kaleel who continued to look into the distance, a hint of sadness etched into his face.

"This isn't the end." Daniel said.

Slowly, Kaleel turned to meet Daniel's eye and opened his mouth slightly, but the moment was broken by the sight of two young children who, although he had never met them, Daniel recognized immediately. Unable to suppress his smile, Daniel crouched down to their height.

"I've come to take you home." Daniel said, reaching out for their hands.

"Who are you?" John Junior asked timidly.

"I'm a friend of your Mom and Dad."

Without another word, Daniel stood up and quickly guided the twins to the entrance, desperate to ensure that Kaleel wouldn't go back on his decision. The moment the twins saw Jack, they let go of Daniel's hands and allowed Jack to lift them into the air in sheer delight and relief. Although, neither of them acknowledged, Daniel saw a slight watery glow to Jack's eyes as he embraced the children.

"Now I believe it is time for Doctor McKay to activate his program." Kaleel said resolutely, from behind Daniel.

* * *

><p>Immediately, Daniel turned to Kaleel, knowing exactly what Kaleel was suggesting and exactly why he was suggesting it.<p>

"This doesn't have to be the end." Daniel stressed.

"I'm afraid it does. I know of your culture enough to know the trouble that would follow Elizabeth Weir should our existence become common knowledge. And, now...well, now _is_ the time." Kaleel said.

Instinctively, Daniel wanted to talk Kaleel out of his decision, to persuade Kaleel that, despite everything that had happened, he and his people had so much to live for. Yet, as he tried to form the words, he knew such an attempt was futile and that Kaleel could not be turned from his decision. As much as Daniel valued life, even forms that were not human, he understood why Kaleel had made the decision to leave indefinite existence. In some ways, he even respected it.

"Daniel." Jack said.

Slowly, Daniel stepped forward to offer his hand to Kaleel, which was accepted and they exchanged a poignant smile before Daniel nodded slightly and turned to follow Jack out of the building to the view of two cars, parked side by side.

Looking back out to Daniel and Jack, carrying their children, Elizabeth and John frantically scrabbled at the doors to the car to let themselves out, and ran across to each accept a child into their bodies, with one arm around each other. After staring deep into John Junior and Olivia's faces to ascertain that, despite everything, they were still the strong, healthy, smiling children they always were, they looked to one another, smiling, and gently pressed their lips together, still smiling, prompting their children to declare that they were 'gross'.

"Oh that is just...Get a room." Rodney said, turning away.

Carson chuckled, '"There are two wee bairns right there, I dinnae think that they want to watch this!"

Laughing slightly, to cover their blushes at their very public display of affection, John and Elizabeth pulled away and cuddled their children into their bodies closer, gently asking if the 'people wearing white', as the twins referred to them, had harmed them in anyway and, although there was no denying that the twins were still in shock over the events, below their smiling exterior, Elizabeth felt comforted to know that, for all their suffering, they had been treated as well as they could have been in the circumstances.

"I can't believe that I spent four days working on some incredibly advanced scientific theory for you to strut in and _talk_ them out of lunacy." Rodney whined to Daniel.

"Actually, they have requested that you proceed with activating the program." Daniel said, hesitantly.

"Suicide?" Rodney said, in shock.

"Seemingly so."

"Why would they suddenly decide to commit suicide?"

"Life loses its value when you realize there is no end to it." Daniel said, staring at the building before them.

"I'll go and get my laptop." Rodney said, still bewildered.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Daniel offered.

"Yes. Thank you."

* * *

><p>Leaving Rodney to collect his laptop, frowning with confusion, Daniel walked over to John and Elizabeth who still had the twins firmly attached to them. It all seemed so perfect that he didn't want to intrude, but he knew he had to. After all of their suffering, he felt that they deserved to know the sacrifice the replicators were willing to make to ensure that they wouldn't come to harm because of the faction again. More than that though, he felt he owed it to Kaleel.<p>

"Daniel, thank you. Thank you so much." Elizabeth said, beaming at him.

"It was nothing. I'm just glad to see you all smiling again." Daniel said.

"Well it's all down to you. Thank you." John said.

Daniel smiled and cleared his throat again, "Kaleel has requested that Doctor McKay still activates his program. I'm going to go along with him."

"But that means..." Elizabeth looked to her son in her arms, "We can't let them do that."

"It's what they want. They think it best for both them and you."

"And you said yes?" Elizabeth said.

"I did. Would you want to live for eternity knowing that there is nothing to live for?" Daniel asked, softly.

"He's right." John commented to Elizabeth.

Snuggling closer to her son and kissing his head, Elizabeth nodded and said, "Tell them thank you."

"Thank you for what?" Rodney asked, clutching his laptop.

Looking at Daniel, Elizabeth shook her head slightly and smiled knowing that Rodney would never understand how she could be grateful to those who had taken her children from her. As they left the group and walked towards the building, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel an uneasy sense of guilt that within minutes they would be dead, but a gentle kiss from her son on her cheek made her realize, more than anything, why the replicators were prepared to walk away from life. Daniel was right; they had nothing worth living for eternity for and she accepted their sacrifice.

As much as Elizabeth and John would have been happy to hold their children in their arms for considerably longer, despite the gradual ache that was taking hold in their muscles, they both accepted Carson's suggestion that he should give them a quick check over to ensure that they hadn't sustained any physical damage. After some gentle persuasion and the promise of a 'Doctor Carson special hug', Olivia eventually let go of her father and allowed Carson's quick examination. John Junior wasn't quite so willing to let go of his mother though, and Carson was forced to undertake his examination of him in his Mother's arms, which he did in a jovial manner, managing to bring a small smile from John Junior.

"There's no physical harm, from what I can see and they both seem healthy. Whether there is any psychological harm remains to be seen, as that's not my area of expertise." Carson said, packing his medical bag.

After mouthing a 'thank you' to Carson, Elizabeth looked up and saw Rodney and Daniel leaving the building and speaking to one another with big smiles, which she found slightly insensitive and narrowed her eyes at them as they approached.

"It was amazing..." Rodney said.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth reprimanded.

"No, you don't understand; they ascended." Rodney said, laughing again in amazement.

Elizabeth's mouth opened slightly in shock, but a smile quickly came to her face which was reflected on everyone around her. It felt right. It felt like she had come home.

"It looks like we all got our happily ever after."


	15. Celebrations

**Chapter XIV: Celebrations**

**A/N: Thanks again to IzzieStar, who helped get this out for you guys in so many ways. Enjoy the story, my readers. She-Demon**

* * *

><p>"Are you all going to live here now?" John Junior asked, as he chewed on a chicken wing.<p>

The absurdity of this possibility prompted a laugh from all of the adults in the room. Witnessing this, a burning red blush came to John Junior's cheeks, and Elizabeth reached out to ruffle his hair lovingly.

"No, we're all going to have to head home eventually. We'll stay around for a while though." Jack said, with a wink at Elizabeth.

"And, you could always come and see us." Daniel suggested.

"Doesn't that sound fun, kids?" Elizabeth said.

"I have a little boy called Nicholas who is very excited to meet you, and his Mummy is pretty excited too." Daniel said, with a smile.

"I was surprised that Vala didn't come with you." John commented.

"Thankfully, she'd taken Nicholas off-world for a visit, so I booked a plane before she returned." Daniel said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth said, "That sounds lovely. A break from Sedona would be much appreciated. How old is Nicholas now?"

"He's five, and growing up a little more every day." Daniel said with an affectionate chuckle.

Hearing this, John looked to his own children and smiled. Every ounce of anger and regret at being excluded from so much of their life was gone. It seemed to meager and irrelevant to dwell on the past after the last few days; the future was what mattered and he was going to make the most of finally getting to see his children grow up. It had been worth the wait and now was the time to celebrate. Seemingly, the same thought had crossed Jack's mind as he suggested that maybe they should crack open the bottle of champagne which had somehow found its way into the groceries.

As he was pouring the champagne, listening to the sound of laughter from the living room, John found himself joined by Elizabeth who simply smiled at him as she wiped a drop of champagne from the surface. Placing the bottle on the side, John turned to her.

"We did it." She said softly.

"We did."

"Without you, I could never have..." Elizabeth began, pausing to take a deep breath.

"You don't have to say it." John said softly, stroking her hair away from her face.

"I do. I don't think I could have got through this without you, and I was wrong for pushing you away so many times. I was scared, but I'm not anymore." Elizabeth said.

"Good, because I was actually hoping to stay around – if you want me to that is." John said, with a slightly awkward smile.

"We do. _I _do." Elizabeth said.

John smiled, "Elizabeth, I need you to know that –"

Both looked to the door as John's speech was interrupted by a hard rap against it, before looking at one another and smiling slightly at the timing. John nodded slightly, and they both walked into the hallway. It could wait. It had been waiting for seven years.

* * *

><p>Neither of them were surprised to see that the rapping at the door was Webb, but both were thrown slightly off guard by his expression. Behind the usual, trained cool countenance there was something else...unease, doubtfulness.<p>

"We need to talk." Webb said.

"Talk then." Elizabeth said, more confident than she felt.

"Here?" Webb asked.

"Just get on with it." John said, in a bored tone.

"I've spoken to my superiors and filed my preliminary report." Webb said, shifting from foot to foot.

"You looking for a gold star?" John said.

Barely able to muster a glare in John's direction, Webb kept his eyes firmly on Elizabeth, "They want you to come into custody while we conduct a full review of the situation."

Outraged, John looked to Elizabeth for her reaction, but there was nothing. No hint of distress or anguish, just the steady rise and fall of her breathing. After a moment, she nodded and politely requested that she could have a few moments, which Webb granted with a saddened smile. Gently, she pushed the door to and made her way to the stairs, but was stopped by John grabbing her arm and pulling her round.

"You're just going to go with him?" John demanded.

"What else do you expect me to do?" Elizabeth asked, affronted.

"Tell him where to go."

"We both know it isn't that simple John. If I go with them, comply with their "review", the sooner I can come home. I will not have Johnny and Livie going through any more upheaval." She said firmly.

"How can they do this?" John asked.

"This is the IOA John. They'll do anything in the interest of international security. I need to pack...get a few things together."

"Do you want me to tell them?" John asked softly.

Briefly, a flicker of pain came over Elizabeth's face, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded, "Not the children though. It should be me."

With a final nod, more to herself than to John, Elizabeth turned and continued up the stairs. He watched her until she was out of view, unable to understand how she could be so calm when she knew that she was on the verge of being taken away from her family. Deep down, he wanted her to fight, the way he had seen her do so many times. Yet, he knew she was right.

* * *

><p>After taking a moment to compose himself, John entered the dining room and weakly smiled back at the beaming faces of the twins. The expressions on the faces of the adults in the room though, made him fairly certain that they realised that there was something afoot in his manner though. In some ways, that made it easier.<p>

"Hey kids, why don't you go and choose a game for our little party?" John asked, cheerily.

Both kids jumped up eagerly and ran out of the room. When he was sure that they were out of ear-shot, John turned to the men.

"What's happened?" Daniel asked.

"It's Elizabeth. The IOA are taking her into custody." John admitted.

"What?" Jack demanded.

"Webb wasn't exactly specific with the details. They're taking her into custody and conducting a review of the situation. And no, before you ask, I have no idea what he meant by that." John said, more aggressively than he intended.

"We are not letting this happen." Jack said, standing up.

"Yes we are. Elizabeth wants to comply with their orders and we are going to respect that." John replied, firmly.

"I'm surprised by you Colonel; letting the IOA get away with this." Jack said, daringly.

"I'm not letting them get away with anything; I'm thinking of my family." John said, through gritted teeth.

Before Jack was able to react to this, the children returned to dining room with a game of Twister, the idea of which considerably lightened the mood and John even managed half a smile at the thought of Rodney and Jack being forced to lock limbs in their steely determination to win. Although he committed himself to playing the game, just to hear the children's laughter and see the smiles on their faces, he was very conscious of the fact that he had one eye on the door, waiting for Elizabeth.

When she did appear, the same fixed, determined smile was on her face and John's heart dropped as he realized how what she was doing was all for her children. She was sacrificing herself to give them some normality, to give them a life where they weren't running or fighting the IOA.

"John, do you want to take the children into the kitchen for some drinks?" Elizabeth asked, perkily.

Immediately, John took their hands, despite their protestations of wanting to continue to play, and pulled them into the kitchen; anything to make this easier for Elizabeth. After preparing them some lemonade, John simply sat and watched them, silently pondering how they would cope with Elizabeth's absence after _everything_. While they had seemingly escaped from their kidnapping ordeal unscathed, John knew that is wasn't as simple as that; that there were scars there, under the surface that could never truly heal. And now this.

* * *

><p>As soon as the men convened in the kitchen, each wearing expressions of confusion and sadness, Jack gently informed the children that Elizabeth wanted to speak to them and they skipped off, and ran into her arms for a hug. Closing her eyes, she dropped to her knees and clutched them, unsure of how she was going to get through this. Telling the men had been, whilst not easy, <em>simple<em>; they had the composure to hide their true feelings. Telling her children that she wasn't going to be able to see them again, and knowing how that would affect them, terrified her.

"Are you having a fun party?" Elizabeth asked, smiling at them.

Both children nodded, and JJ excitedly recounted how Uncle Carson had fallen on Uncle Rodney whilst they were playing Twister, and Uncle Rodney had shouted at Uncle Carson. She was buying for time, she realized that, but she continued to kneel there listening to them talk about normal events which fascinated them so much. When they had finally run out of things to talk about, or breath, Elizabeth felt tears pricking her eyes.

"Now Mommy has something that she needs to talk to you about," Elizabeth said, and took a breath, "You are going to have lots of fun Daddy time, because Mommy has to go away for a while.

"Why?" JJ asked.

"Because I need to talk to some people who want to know what happened to you when you were taken away." Elizabeth said.

"I don't want you to go away." Olivia said, her bottom lip beginning to tremble.

Hearing this, Elizabeth found she was unable to prevent her welling tears for a second longer, and she felt warm tears slowly slide down her face, contrasting perfectly with her warm, comforting smile. Her son reached out to touch them, as if to establish that they were real.

"Why are you crying Mommy?" He asked.

"I'm crying because I'm happy. I'm happy that you're home, that you're safe. And I'm happy that you're going to have so much fun with Daddy while I'm away." Elizabeth said.

"We want to have fun with you too." John Junior said, tugging on her hand.

"But imagine all the fizzy drinks and games that Daddy will let you have." Elizabeth said, desperately trying to muster a positive for them to cling to.

"Please stay." Olivia persisted.

"Oh sweetheart, I really want to. I so want to, but I have to do this to make sure that everything is okay now, that you are never taken from us again. I love you."

Before they could say another word to plea for her to stay, Elizabeth took their hands and kissed them both, before pulling them into her arms once again, her tears dripping into their hair. They remained there until the children started wriggling against her, and she sat up and wiped her tears away, with an air of finality. Nothing could be harder than this.

"Go on. Go and play. When Mommy is home, we'll have plenty of time for snuggling." Elizabeth said.

"Bye bye Mommy." Both children said as they reached the door.

As she watched their retreating heads, Elizabeth felt her tears threatening to return, but she stopped herself. She was doing this for them and she was going to get through this for them. Half-heartedly, she even tried to convince herself that this was for the best; that John would finally have the chance to stand alone as a father, and reclaim some of his lost moments. It wasn't much, but it was something she could hold onto.

Just outside the door, Elizabeth heard footstep and looked up to see John. He closed the door behind him, determined to ensure their time...their last little moment together for the foreseeable future was private, was theirs alone. Yet, as he found himself stood there, looking into her eyes, so full of pain, so determined to conceal it, he couldn't muster the words that he so badly needed to say. Somehow, it felt cruel to force her through another painful goodbye, given that only seconds ago she had held her children in her arms for the final time.

Breaking her eyes from his, Elizabeth turned and began straightening ornaments on the shelf before, with her usual composure, but John knew better. He saw the slight tremble in her hands, the tightening of her jaw as she gritted her teeth, and the unsteady rise and fall of her chest.

"I've told the children that I'm going away for a while. I don't want them to know." She said firmly, "You should take them away from here, maybe for a vacation."

Unable to control the inner flurry of emotions and contradictions any longer, he stepped forward and enveloped her in his arms, pressing his head into her hair, desperate to remember what it feels like to be close to her and to simply show her that he was there, and that he would always be there and be hers. Clutching his hands, she turned so that she was facing him and stared into his eyes, each reflecting the hopelessness of the situation.

"I will get you out of there." John said in a tone that revealed how shaken he was.

"John, you can't-"

"I can and I will." He insisted, with his usual certainty creeping into his voice.

Although both them knew she couldn't find assurance in or believe in his vows, she nodded and then closed her eyes and allowed her head to rest against his chest, in a moment of uncharacteristic, but understandable, weakness. Ruefully, John reflected that it was the first time since they had come together once again, on the doorstep of that very house, that they were allowing themselves an intimacy which they had both tried so hard to pretend didn't exist anymore. Gently, John lifted Elizabeth's head from his chest, circling the softness of her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I love you."

Both leaned to one another to allow their lips to meet, as a single tear from Elizabeth's eyes touched their mouths. It was brief, but both understood the meaningfulness of this final kiss.

"I know, and I love you too." Elizabeth said.

* * *

><p>At that, she reached down to lift her overnight bag and walked away, once again the image of composure, leaving him seething. The realization of what was really happening finally hit him and as he heard the click of the front door, he couldn't control it for a second longer as he marched out of the house, almost wrenching the door of its hinges. Although Elizabeth was a considerable distance ahead of him, determined to get finish this matter, he wasn't heading towards her. He was heading towards Webb.<p>

Before he could take another step though, he felt the grabbing of hands on the material of his shirt, which he angrily tried to wrestle off him in his determination.

"John." Jack said, warningly.

"You want this?" John spat, continuing to fight against them.

"Nobody wants this John. You can't let your children see you like this." Daniel reasoned.

And it was the thought of them that stopped John fighting, all the while making him more determined than ever to bring her home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: You guys forgot about the IOA didn't you? *runs behind a barrier preparing for the barrage.***


	16. Humanity in Question

**Chapter XV: Humanity in Question**

**A/N: Again thank you IzzieStar! Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"You're telling me that not one single pathetic official is available in the office?" John snapped, from the other side of the door.<p>

Frowning in concentration, Rodney pressed his ear closer to the door of Sam and Jack's kitchen. Since they had arrived in Washington two days ago, _these _phone calls had become somewhat of a routine for John, and as they became more frequent, Rodney's visits to the door were. Although he couldn't help but let his intrigue get the better of him, he couldn't deny the genuine concern for his friend whose tone was increasingly irate, but tinged with despair.

"I am through with waiting! I want answers NOW and if I don't get them I will not be held responsible for my actions." John roared.

As Rodney heard John kick some indiscernible object, he winced, worried that the sound would attract one of the numerous people who were currently residing at the O'Neill residence. Taking his concentration away from the other side of the door, Rodney looked down the hallway to ensure that he wouldn't be found. When he was certain that there was nobody heading in his direction, he pressed his ear to the door once again.

"-want to talk to her. They are six-years old. How the HELL do you expect them to cope with this?"

More pacing. Since Elizabeth had been taken, pacing was all he ever seemed to do. Except for when the children were around. They were his only solace, as he smiled and insisted that Mommy would be home soon. Rodney didn't know how John did it; pretend to be so serene and 'Dad', whilst he knew the truth; that he was all they would have left. They'd all rallied around of course, much to Sam's detectable frustration, but John treated them like they were barely there at all as he made _another _phone call or took his mind off it with the children. He wanted to say something, but deep down he knew that if he crossed that line, it meant that it was real and Sheppard wasn't ready for that.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let this lie? If I have to come down there and storm the building I WILL do it." Sheppard snarled.

Normally, Rodney would have been panicked by Sheppard's outlandish threat, but his attention was taken by Carson walking towards him, shaking his head, the frown showing his disapproval. Oh well, he'd managed to get away with it for two days and whatever they said, they were impressed by his knowledge of the situation.

"What on earth are you doing Rodney?" Carson whispered.

"Oh as if you don't want to know what's going on." Rodney whispered in reply.

Although Carson threw another roll of the eyes in Rodney's direction, Rodney was amused and indignant in equal measures as Carson pressed his own ear to the door.

"I'll be expecting a call, and you know what's going to happen if I don't get one." John said.

Sensing that this signaled the end of the conversation, both Carson and Rodney stepped away from the door and, instinctively, Rodney began laughing in the most unconvincing fashion. This, coupled with the guilty expression on Carson's face, made it all to clear to John what had been happening on the other side of the door as he opened it. Fortunately for them, he didn't have the time or energy to take them up on it.

Carson noted the tired look in his friend's eyes. John was operating on zero sleep, not taking any time to rest. His sole focus had been on Elizabeth and the twins. He had to say something.

"John, you need to rest."

As it was becoming his tact, John ignored him. His friend had a gleam in his eyes.

"I'm not going to rest until I get that call."

Not giving up, Carson continued,

"You haven't slept at all since we got to Washington. Which was over 48 hours ago…"John interrupted him saying,

"Are you asking me this as a friend or as a doctor?"

Carson was silent for a moment. He answered,

"Both. As your friend, I'm worried about how you're dealing with all this. As a doctor, I'm worried about how this may affect your body."

John was silent for a few moments, which was long enough for Rodney to get in an interruption. Soon it was time for lunch.

* * *

><p>Although the group who had convened at the table undoubtedly enjoyed each other's company, the absence of Elizabeth, and the reasons behind that, had put a strain on proceedings which was difficult to ignore. Each, in their own way, was there for John and the children, and for each other, but sitting together only served as a reminder of what, or rather who was missing.<p>

"So, err, no luck?" Jack asked John.

"No luck." John confirmed.

Jack nodded, and that was the end of the conversation as nobody wanted to push or dwell on the topic in front of the children, who remained unaware as to where their mother really was. John was thankful for that; that his friends had supported him and accepted the reasons behind his (and Elizabeth's) deception. As he watched them sword fighting with their breadsticks, he smiled and reaffirmed to himself that it was for the best and in their interests.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Rodney asked, nodding to Sam's uneaten toasted sandwich.

Roused from her thoughts, Sam looked to Rodney in confusion and then down to her plate at the uneaten sandwich and shrugged.

"It's this stomach bug; everything looks like a trip to the bathroom waiting to happen." Sam grimaced.

"So, it's going spare then?" Rodney queried.

"Here, take it." Sam said, rolling her eyes as she passed it across the table.

"You are looking very tired dear. I could prescribe you some rehydration salts."

"It's fine Carson."

"I insist." Carson said, with a smile.

With a smile, Sam accepted his offer and allowed her eyes to fall on John, and the way he was with the children. Despite everything, he was still laughing and playing, totally committed to them as he tried to persuade them to finish their grapes. They were stubborn, both of them, and cheeky with it, but John had managed to turn the whole struggle into a game by throwing them at John and Olivia for them to catch in their mouths and eat. As a stray grape hit JJ in the eye, Sam laughed, and turned to look at Jack's reaction, but he was too absorbed in reading the newspaper to notice. The smile fell from Sam's face and she sighed, picking up her abandoned plate and placing it in the dishwasher. Maybe some rehydration salts were just what she needed.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour past midnight, and after one beer too many, John finally gave into his exhaustion and made his way into the bedroom he was sharing with the twins. Perched on the edge of the bed, as he removed his clothes, he stopped and watched the children for a moment. Knowing that they were there, so peaceful, so unaware, brought him a small comfort. Smiling as JJ scrunched up his face into a sneeze; John pulled his pyjamas on and slid into the bed.<p>

This was always the hardest part of the day; led alone, with no distractions, his mind simply wouldn't allow itself to stop thinking. What bothered him most was that there was nothing that he could do. Sure, he'd _threatened_ to take matters into his own hands, but knowing that Elizabeth had made this sacrifice to give their children a chance to live a relatively normal life; he simply couldn't take that risk. Maybe he should have done more to stop Elizabeth accepting the IOA's demands in the first place; he doubted she would have listened though.

He was distracted from these very thoughts by the sound of whimpering across the room. Immediately, he climbed out of bed and sat down beside Olivia, squeezing her hand and stroking her hair. It had been like this every night since they'd been in Washington and Elizabeth had left. At some point during the night he would be awoken, that was if he was able to sleep, by this very sound and would go over to find Olivia grimacing as though she were in pain, and nothing he did seemed to calm her down until he ultimately woke her up just to provide an escape for her.

"Olivia, come on, up you get." He said, gently sitting up.

Rubbing her eyes, Olivia sat up and looked at him. For a moment, he continued to stroke her hair, suspecting that physical gestures would provide more comfort until she had woken up sufficiently. After a few minutes, Olivia smiled sadly at him.

"Another bad dream, huh?" He asked, softly.

Olivia nodded, "Yes."

"Was it the same one about being taken away from home by the people in white?" John asked, as delicately as he could manage.

Once again, Olivia nodded, "It scares me."

"I know it does, and you have been such a brave girl. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you." Immediately, he regretted mentioning her.

"When is Mommy coming home?" Olivia asked.

"Soon, after our holiday. You're going to have a lot to tell her about."

"I miss her." Olivia said, looking away.

"I know. I miss her too." John said sadly.

Neither of them said anything else and Olivia burrowed her body into John's chest where he wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her own. Eventually, Olivia's breathing slowed as she fell asleep, and John returned to bed, hoping that she wouldn't be troubled in her sleep again that night. As it turned out, she wasn't. John knew this, as he lay awake until the creep of sun below the curtains.

Even though another night had passed without sleep, John wasn't in the mood to give up his quest for answers and passed another morning speaking to IOA officials who either didn't know what was going on, or didn't want him to know what was going. So when Richard Woolsey arrived, late in the afternoon, John shook his hand with both relief and trepidation.

Years of experience meant that nothing in Woolsey's countenance gave anything away as to the undertakings of the IOA regarding Elizabeth and that only served to intensify John's fear. He couldn't help but _know _that if Elizabeth was being released that he would have told them; that his smile would have told them. Instead, there was nothing, so John led Woolsey, followed by Carson and Rodney into the living room. Although he briefly considered asking Carson and Rodney to leave, deep down he knew that he wanted them there, and he knew that was why they were there.

"How are the children? John and Olivia, isn't it?" Woolsey asked calmly.

"As well as they can be given the circumstances." John said a little coolly.

Rather than replying, Woolsey smiled slightly and nodded before turning to look at of the window briefly to enjoy the view. For John, although he didn't show it in his countenance, this only served as the final, most damning indication that the news that Woolsey was bringing wasn't good. No, he knew Richard and he knew that Richard was postponing the inevitable moment when he had to...

"So, are you going to tell us what's going on?" John asked steadily.

Richard turned to him and met his eye, before removing his glasses to clean them. From the corner of his eye, John noticed the slight shuffle of Rodney and he knew. He just knew. If _Rodney_ could sense it as well, the slim hopes that lingered were slipping away. Finally, Woolsey replaced his glasses and looked to John with a frown.

"I'm afraid the decision has been made to deactivate Doctor Weir's...Elizabeth's nanites."


	17. A Friend on the Inside

**Chapter XVI: A Friend on the Inside**

**A/N: Apologies for the long wait. A combination of computer issues and a beta-change have slowed down the update. IzzieStar still gets an honorable mention for writing some of this chapter in advance. Aang Beckett has helped a lot! There is some humor, but the next chapter will be back to serious business. Enjoy! Sparky She-Demon**

* * *

><p>Although John had taken Woolsey's news with the placid face of a soldier that he had been wearing since Elizabeth had been taken, the facade slipped once Woolsey was out the door. Woolsey had mentioned that there was someone they could talk to at the facility where Elizabeth was being kept: the now USMC Major Laura Cadman. After watching Woolsey pull away in his car, John turned from the window and immediately made a bee-line for the liquor cabinet, where he poured himself a large glass of whiskey which he took in one mouthful, wincing as the taste burnt his mouth. Sensing a change in countenance, Rodney and Carson exchanged a nervous glance before settling their eyes on John warily.<p>

"You have to go and talk to her." John said, pointing his glass at Carson.

"Elizabeth? I don't think they'll –"Carson said nervously.

"Laura."

Carson laughed nervously, "I don't see what good that will do."

"She can help us." John said resolutely.

"Do what exactly?" Carson asked.

"Rescue Elizabeth."

"Oh Dear Lord." Rodney muttered.

Hearing this, John turned the malice in his eyes on to Rodney, who shifted his glance away to stare out of the window and surreptitiously nudged Carson.

"I – we – want to get Elizabeth back as much as you do, but I don't think me of all people talking to Laura is going to help." Carson said sympathetically.

"It's been eight years Carson." John spat.

"Aye and I remember how uncomfortable you were about seeing Elizabeth again." Carson said in a raised tone, which he immediately regretted and blushed.

"And thanks to you I might not get the chance to see her again." John said.

"You can't put this one on me." Carson said.

"Oh I think I can. You are going to see her." John said maliciously.

"Why can't you go and see her? You know superior officer and all that." Rodney said, hoping to relieve the tension.

"It would sound better coming from him." John said, his eyes remaining firmly on Carson.

"I don't think it would, son." Carson said, gravely.

"Either way, if you don't want those two kids who have already been through hell to lose their Mom, then you are gonna to talk to her." John growled.

"You know that's not what I want and if there was any other way..." Carson protested.

Unable to suppress the emotions and exhaustion of the last few weeks for any longer, John spun round and hurled the glass that he had been gripping against the opposite wall. Angry at Carson for pushing him to this, he turned to see his reaction, but was greeted with Carson's back as he hurriedly left the room. Instead he was left with the piercing glare of mingled worry and fear of Rodney, which seemed to calming effect on him, and he staggered back towards the sofa and collapsed with his head in his hands.

* * *

><p>"Why the hell did you go and do that?" Rodney demanded.<p>

"It was the glass or Carson, which would you rather I chose?" John mumbled.

"I'd rather you be the man you used to be Sheppard – the man who cared about his friends, who could ask for their support without resorting to violence." Rodney said angrily.

"I don't know what else to do," John shouted, looking up at Rodney, "I've only just got them back – hell, I've only just got them at all – and now they've taken Elizabeth and I don't know what to do."

"Well, you could start with talking to your friends." Rodney said, uncomfortably.

"That didn't exactly work with Carson, did it?"

"You didn't talk to Carson, you told Carson."

"I've really screwed up." John admitted.

"No you haven't. He'll forgive you. I'm not so sure I would-"

"Hey, I don't need to remind you that you've screwed up more than once since we've known each other."

"But you still do." Rodney said with a weak smile, "Look, I'll talk to Carson."

"You will?" John said, looking up.

"I will."

Carson's mind was whirling with thoughts. What would Laura say to him? Would she be alright with his unexpected visit? Would she be able to help Elizabeth? Carson shook his head, trying to shake off the questions and appear composed. He felt like a teenager about to ask a pretty girl to a dance, even though his reason for being here was far more serious.

Standing outside the door, Carson hesitated for a moment before knocking. On the other side of the door, Laura was having a moment of her own. She paced the floor of her room, the whole situation with Elizabeth running through her mind. She should do something, but what could she possibly do? Laura ran a hand through the blonde hair she usually kept tied back, trying to focus her thoughts.

A knock at Laura's door jolted her out of her thoughts and she pulled the hair tie from her wrist, tugging her hair back into a messy ponytail to get it out of her face. She reached to open the door, thinking it was someone from the base, and got quite a surprise as she pulled it open and found herself looking into a very familiar pair of blue eyes.

* * *

><p>"Hello Laura," Carson began, allowing himself to smile (though Laura knew those eyes, she could see the concern in them). Laura had to think for a moment to regain her train of thought; she'd forgotten how his eyes and that smile could throw her off balance.<p>

"Oh, um, hello Carson…what brings you out here?" Laura questioned, her voice catching as a memory flooded her mind. Now it was Carson's turn to have to think about his response, pulling his gaze from hers for a moment to compose his thoughts. Carson had also quite forgotten how just a look from Laura could send his mind completely off track.

"Wait, why don't you come in, then you can tell me why you're here," Laura remembered her manners at the last second and stepped back inside, gesturing lamely for Carson to come into her room. He seemed to think for a moment before showing a glimpse of that sideways smile and stepping into the room.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Love…I mean, Laura," Carson caught himself using the special term of endearment he used to use every time he spoke to her, causing her head to snap up and her eyes to meet his for another moment (again, that flash of concern, Laura could see something was clearly wrong), "I suppose I ought to explain."

Nodding slowly she said,

"I suspect it has something to do with Doctor Weir."

"So you've seen her?"

"Yes I have. Hard to believe isn't it? How they kept it quiet, I'll never know. Their relationship, I mean. There were all those bets going on."

Carson smirked as he remembered all the bets concerning John and Elizabeth. Some of them had been doozies. He'd had his suspicions, especially after the Phoebus/Thalen incident.

Cadman continued babbling,

"She showed me a picture of the kids. Really good looking. Then again, considering who their parents are, that's almost a given." She paused for a moment and giggled. Carson looked at her with a question on his face. She answered,

"Rodney owes me money."

Deciding that now would be a good time to get Laura back on track to the matter at hand, Carson said,

"Laura, if you decide to help and things go wrong, your career in the Marines would be over."

She gave him a dirty look and said,

"If I don't help you guys, I would be betraying the ideals of being a Marine. And I also don't think those kids deserve to have that happen to them. So I don't give a damn about my career."

Carson raised his hands, saying

"I was just warnin' ye lass. So, do you want to come with me and meet them?"

Laura smiled and replied,

"I'd love to."

* * *

><p>Back at Jack's house, JJ and Olivia came running into the family room just in time to see Jack jump up from the couch and cheer as one of the teams in the hockey game he was watching scored a goal. JJ turned to see what was on the TV, while Olivia giggled at Jack.<p>

"Uncle Jack? What's that?" JJ turned to look back at Jack and was met with a smile.

"That, JJ, is a game called Hockey. You hit the puck with one of those sticks," Jack pointed to the TV as he sat back down, which both twins turned to watch for a moment, "And try to get it into that net."

"Oh. Can we play?" JJ looked up at Jack hopefully.

"Yeah can we?" Olivia spoke up as well, turning her gaze to Jack.

"Sure can. Shall we go outside?" Jack asked the question, directed at both of the twins, who nodded enthusiastically and tackled him back into the cushions behind him with excited hugs. With an exaggerated grunt, Jack levered himself back off the couch with one twin tucked under each arm and then set them back on their feet.

A few minutes later, Jack and the twins found themselves out in the yard with a couple of shortened hockey sticks and a puck, laughing and enjoying themselves.

"Like this, JJ" Jack was showing JJ how to hold the stick by placing his hands on it, while Olivia had already mastered holding her stick and was practicing swinging it at the puck.

A loud crash of shattering glass caused him to let go of the stick and turn around, to find a rather red-faced Olivia standing behind him, clutching her hockey stick behind her back. He looked from Olivia to the shattered window and back and found himself laughing as a frustrated Sam walked out of the house holding the puck in her hand and caught sight of Olivia's bright red face.

As Sam's irritated expression melted into a smile and then a light laugh, John and Rodney appeared behind her in the doorway. John made his way down to the twins, a wry smile on his face, but Rodney stayed stone-faced behind Sam, but was holding back a smile that wanted to escape him.

"JJ, Olivia, who's going to tell me what happened here?" John bent down to their level to look them both in the face, but he wasn't angry with them. Jack coughed slightly, causing John to look up at him right then.

"Olivia has a heck of a swing with a hockey stick doesn't she?" Jack rubbed the back of his head with one hand and gestured to the window with the other hand, "She could be really good at hockey someday, you know."

"That's my girl," John pulled both twins into a hug, and the hockey sticks lay forgotten in the grass behind them.

Right at that moment, Carson and Laura walked up from the car, surveying the scene in front of them, from the shattered window and the hockey sticks in the grass, to Sam with the hockey puck still in her hand, to John hugging the twins and Jack standing nearby with a smile on his face, and Rodney standing in the doorway with his usual disapproving look pasted on his face.

Laura watched the kids for a moment, before silently turning and walking up to Rodney.

"You owe me money, I think it was 100 bucks," She stated, with a perfectly straight face, as she walked up to him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: A little bit of humor, next chapter will be back to business. **


	18. Ancient Escape

**Chapter XVII: Ancient Escape**

**A/N: Apologies on the long wait, a lot happens in this chapter. Thanks to IzzieStar and AangBeckett for their help! Enjoy the chapter. She-Demon**

* * *

><p>With the twins safely sleeping in bed, John gently closed the door behind and paused to listen to the soft laughter from the kitchen. Laura's arrival has been a massive boost to the group, and it went beyond the hope that she symbolized. Although they had allowed themselves to maintain their facades and fake smiles around the children, in the moments when they children were absent they were all gradually succumbing to their mutual worries, and failing into silent despairs. Laura's warmth and playful manner had allowed them to relax, to smile naturally, and to simply be friends again. For this, John was more grateful to Carson than Carson would ever allow himself to take credit for.<p>

What was less clear cut though, was the future. The moment Woolsey had mentioned Laura, John has immediately latched onto the chance that she could help, but he had forgotten to ask himself how. It wasn't enough to have somebody on the inside, when he had absolutely no idea what their future could be if they did secure her escape.

Below him, he heard footsteps climbing the stairs and looked up to see Rodney approaching him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Sure." John reassured.

"You, err, ready to talk?" Rodney said.

John nodded and waited for Rodney to pass him on the way to the bathroom before making his descent down the stairs. After this insistence that Carson speak to Laura, he knew they would be looking to him for a plan of sorts. The truth was that he simply didn't have one. Not yet, anyway.

When he entered the kitchen, every adult member of the household (Rodney aside), was sat around waiting for him expectantly. It reminded him of briefings and the inherently serious nature of them, and the matter at hand. He sat down beside the empty seat that he assumed was Rodney's and poured himself a glass of wine from one of the various bottles on the table. Normally, he wouldn't have been so laid back about drinking at a time like this, but he had a feeling that Dutch courage may kick his mind into action. Once Rodney had reclaimed his seat and they were finally sat together, there was no avoiding what needed to be done for any longer.

"So what's the plan, Colonel?" Laura asked, looking to John.

"Less of the Colonel, we're all friends here." John said with a smile, "and, as to a plan, there isn't one yet."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rodney open his mouth slightly, but Sam tactfully interrupted him, "Well, now is as good a time as any to come up with one."

"What kind of security are we looking at?" Jack asked, looking at Laura.

"Every kind of security protocol you can imagine and I don't even have top level clearance currently - it works on a rotation system. To get in and out of the facility requires a retina scan –"

"So there's no chance of any of us getting in." Jack said, more to himself than anybody else.

"Or Elizabeth out." Rodney sighed.

"Once you get past the retina scan?" John persisted.

"Well, from there it's a little easier, but it's still tough. Each door requires a security pass, and on the level where Elizabeth is being held, the entrance is covered by two armed personnel and only certain IOA operatives, and one member of security have access. Like I said though, the rotation is every couple of days, and my couple of days have passed."

"Great." Rodney muttered.

"You have access to the security systems, does that give us an in?" Carson asked.

"Not really, my current role gives me control over the security of the office levels, but Elizabeth's level is not with my team." Laura said apologetically.

"Is there any way you can get Elizabeth's retina scan into the database as a means of escape?" Sam asked.

"I'd have to get access to her first." Laura said.

"Of all the buildings." Rodney sighed.

"We could take her by force." Jack suggested.

"We don't have enough men, and we'd only end up fugitives. They'd track us down eventually." John said.

"I'm thinking we take our chances." Jack shrugged.

Beside him, John could practically hear Rodney rolling his eyes at this suggestion and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I could _maybe_, and I stress the maybe, secure some security passes for you, not top level mind, but you still wouldn't be able to get past the retina scans."

"It wouldn't work; we'd be caught before we got through the front door. They'll be expecting something like this." Rodney said.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Rodney." Laura said, with a grin at him.

With the possibility of taking Elizabeth by force seemingly dead, they all fell into silence, their eyes focusing on anything other than each other. They had always known that the chances of rescuing Elizabeth were slim, as much as they had hoped and persuaded themselves that all would be well, but now it all felt so hopeless. Interrupting this mutual despair was Sam, who looked over to John as she formed an idea in her mind.

"Before her disappearance, Elizabeth was highly thought of some pretty powerful circles; perhaps we could tell them the truth and use their power to lobby for her release." Sam suggested.

"We can't be sure that they don't already support the IOA." Jack pointed out.

"Come on." Sam said.

'Politicians will do anything to cover their asses." Jack stated.

"This is ridiculous. Are you seriously saying that aside from...walking through walls, there is no way we can get her out?" John asked Laura.

Frowning in consideration, Laura looked to John and was about to reply when she was interrupted by Rodney clicking his fingers and banging on the table frantically in unison.

"We can do that." He said, excitedly.

"Walk through walls?" John asked, cynically.

"Not figuratively of course. Beaming technology. We beam her out." Rodney said smugly.

"Why don't I just fetch down our beaming technology from the loft?" Jack said, sarcastically.

"No, wait, he's onto something here." Sam said, watching Rodney with interest.

"While I haven't, err, actually been given access to the files on Atlantis, I, err, have been keeping an eye of them –"

"You hacked into them?" John asked with amusement.

"Hacked is a strong word." Rodney argued.

"You hacked into them. Anyway, continue." John said warmly.

"Well one of the upgrades that has been made to the city is beaming technology."

"So all we need to do is find a cloaked, floating city and the rest is history?" Jack asked cynically.

"Look, I didn't say it would be easy, but it's the best we've got at the moment."

"And saying this plan works, what do we do when we've got Elizabeth back?" Carson asked.

"We take Atlantis and run." John said, vocalizing what they were all thinking.

"Pretty much." Rodney confirmed.

"Wait a minute, how are we going to take Atlantis? We don't have enough men to overcome the personnel on the base." Jack said.

"Actually, from what I could ascertain, they're only running minimal operations in the control room at the moment; security shouldn't be too much of an issue. We can stun them and beam them down before we beam Elizabeth up." Rodney suggested.

"What is more of an issue is that we surely don't have enough people to run the city?" Sam said.

"Who here, would be prepared to go?" Jack said.

Each person in the room nodded their agreement, and Jack smiled slightly, "Two Physicists, a Doctor and three military personnel and that's just in this room. I'm sure if it came down to it, we could call on some old friends. Daniel for a start; he wouldn't miss out on the chance of having access to the archives of Atlantis for the rest of his life. I'm sure we can rally some more troops."

"First things first though, how are we going to get into Atlantis. Like Jack said, the city is cloaked." John pointed out.

"We're going to need a jumper." Rodney admitted.

"And where the heck are we going to find a jumper?" Carson asked.

"Work." Sam said, looking at Rodney.

"Exactly. We both have access to the jumper that's being worked on."

"It would take at least five of us to take the city though." John pointed out.

"Every person at this table still has clearance. You could claim that you're meeting us for lunch and fancy taking a look around." Sam shrugged with a smile.

"So that's you, McKay, Sheppard, Beckett and me. This is starting to vaguely resemble a plan. Nice work McKay." Jack said with a smile.

* * *

><p>Although his determination and optimism over the plan hadn't subsided through the night, it occurred to Rodney as he woke up just how much effort this plan would entail if they were going to stand a chance of pulling it off. Unable to sleep, knowing that so much needed to be done, Rodney found himself in the kitchen before six am balancing his laptop, mug of coffee and a plate of toast. Once again he allowed himself into the confidential files on the Atlantis program to reassure him over several matters which had been troubling him since the initial adrenaline over his plan had subsided. To his left, covered in toast crumbs and greasy fingerprints was a notepad, which Sam lifted as she walked into the kitchen just after six.<p>

Briefly Rodney looked up at her, "You don't look so hot."

Irritated, Sam threw the pad back down onto the table and reached for the coffee and started to pour a mug before pausing and tipping the contents into the sink with a sigh. Instead, she poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat beside McKay who immediately stood up to make some more toast, as Sam read over his notepad.

"Have you started working on a locator beacon for Elizabeth yet?" Rodney asked.

"I've done the preliminary calculations. I'll get started on it after breakfast."

"I don't need to remind you that we're up against the clock here."

Rather than reply, Sam continued to flick through Rodney's notes while Rodney resumed his work on the laptop looking through the Atlantis files. After several moments, he sat back and sighed.

"What is it?" Sam asked, continuing to read the pad.

"Hey early birds." Jack said, walking into the kitchen and bending to kiss Sam's head, before taking a seat.

"Morning," Rodney said, "I think we're going to need another scientist to run the city. There's too much for just the two of us to handle."

"It's not just scientists either. We need medical personnel, equipment –"

"Actually, we're covered on the equipment from. Over the last couple of years, from what I can tell, they've been developing Atlantis as some sort of escape shuttle in the event of anything happening to Earth. The city is prepared to sustain the lives of up to two-hundred people for ten years." Rodney said.

"Well that'll certainly make life easier." Jack commented.

"That doesn't solve the issue of personnel though." Sam said.

"That should be easy enough. People will be queuing up to join us." Jack said confidently.

"You can't just take that for granted! I mean, have you even spoken to Daniel yet?" Sam asked in a raised tone.

"I will do that." Jack reassured.

"That isn't good enough, Jack. This isn't just any old mission." Sam snapped.

"When have I ever let you down? Anybody in this house down?" Jack replied, sitting up slightly.

"Err; I was maybe thinking of calling on Radek Zelenka. I think he'd be up for it." Rodney suggested.

"Good thinking." Sam said, continuing to stare at Jack.

Awkwardly, Rodney cleared his throat and returned to his work, subconsciously sliding away from the domestic argument that was taking place on the other side of the table. This wasn't the first time he'd been stuck in between Sam and Jack arguing over the past couple of days and, he had to admit, it didn't get any less uncomfortable. Slyly looking at Sam, he wondered if she was approaching menopause, but was distracted by a bleary eyed Carson entering the kitchen, still in his tartan pyjamas.

"I was going to suggest calling Cassie. She's out of med school now; she'd be an asset to us." Jack said.

"That sounds –"Carson began.

"And by that do you mean suggest it and then put it off?" Sam asked.

"Seriously, this is all because I haven't called Daniel when he is very probably still asleep and won't be able to think straight?"

"You had time last night." Sam snarled, with more venom that she had ever intended.

"Why don't I check you over Sam? You're still looking a bit peaky." Carson said with an edge to his tone.

To Rodney's surprise, Sam immediately agreed to this and left the kitchen with a final glare in Jack's direction. As Carson followed Sam out of the kitchen, Rodney could hear his hurried, concerned whispering, although he couldn't quite hear what he was saying. Across from him, Jack was shaking his head in amazement and Rodney was considering saying something which he hoped would sound sincere, when they were interrupted by the twins running into the kitchen. Rodney rolled his eyes, thinking how grateful he would be for some peace and quiet after all this, before realizing that, from now on, this is what his life would be like on a daily basis. Although, at least he had his lab in Atlantis to shut himself away in. Stopped in his tracks, John Junior sidled up to Rodney and stared at the screen in confusion.

"What's that? French? My Mommy talks French." He asked.

"No, it's Math. Very complex Math."

"But there are letters." JJ commented.

Rodney laughed slightly causing the young boy to narrow his eyes.

"You're laughing at me." JJ said.

"No, I'm not. I remember saying the same thing to my Dad when I was a kid. In some forms, very complex forms, of Math you have you use letters."

"You must be very smart." JJ commented.

"Well, actually, now you mention it –"

A roll of the eyes from John stopped Rodney in his tracks, and he packed his work up knowing that it would not doubt be covered in fruit loops within five minutes with the twins around. It would give him the time to dig out Zelenka's details anyway.

* * *

><p>Over the last couple of days, Sam had almost allowed herself to forget. They'd been so wrapped up in the twins, so determined to make them happy, that for just a few days, her...issues hadn't been relevant. As she strolled into the kitchen though, much later than usual as she found herself succumbing to tiredness already, it all came flooding back as Jack turned and waved to her with a spatula covered in the bacon fat. Her eyes immediately fell on the frying pan, and the stench hit her. Gritting her teeth, she smiled at Jack, but she couldn't stay. There was no way she could stay. So, she turned and, as nonchalantly as she could manage, walked back up the stairs, her pace ultimately becoming a run as she felt the overwhelming urge hit her.<p>

Desperately, she pushed through the bathroom door and clutched the toilet bowl as she found herself being sick. With tears streaming down her face from both the action itself and the exhaustion she felt concealing this secret, she collapsed against the wall of the bathroom and was surprised to find two sets of eyes on her, as the twins clutched their toothbrushes in shock.

"What's wrong Auntie Sam?" Olivia asked, earnestly.

"This...err...tummy bug." Sam blustered.

"I thought you were better." JJ said suspiciously.

"This is a strange sort of tummy bug." Sam sighed.

Smiling at the confusion on the twins' faces, she pushed herself onto her knees and shuffled over to them, kneeling before them.

"Now I really need you to keep this tummy bug to yourself, just for now." Sam said.

"Why?" JJ asked.

"Because...Uncle Jack worries about me when I get sick, but this is your vacation and I want everybody to have fun." Sam said, gently.

Taking their eyes away from hers, John Junior and Olivia turned to each and both nodded, before turning back to Sam.

"It's okay. We won't tell anybody." Olivia grinned.

With that, they both returned to their toothbrushes to the cup and ran out of the bathroom. It was wrong to make children lie and keep secrets, but, for now at least, she knew Jack simply couldn't cope with any more stress. There was too much at stake.

* * *

><p>Rodney arrived on the campus of Georgetown University that afternoon, and immediately headed to the Department of Physics where he had once given a guest lecture. It had been he who had acted as Zelenka's referee when he had applied for a position at the University, and Rodney had taken it for granted that Zelenka would still be here, although they hadn't spoken for over a year. When they had returned from Atlantis, so many promises had been made to keep in touch with various people. The reality was different though and even his contact with John and Carson in recent years hadn't been frequent as it could have been. That was until recent events, which had determined they'd be seeing each other on a daily basis if all went to plan.<p>

After learning from an undergraduate, who was rather starstruck when he had given his name, that Zelenka was lecturing, Rodney grabbed himself a coffee and silently slipped into the lecture theatre where he took a seat. Despite himself, the familiarity of Zelenka's Czech tone did bring a small smile to his face which he quickly covered with a mouthful of coffee. Zelenka hadn't noticed his arrival, which was probably for the best, so Rodney simply sat and listened to the lecture on extracellular multi-electrode array recordings. Just in front of him was a girl, no older than twenty-five, who was watching Zelenka with a mingled look of admiration and..._fondness. _Rodney looked to the front of the theatre to stare at Zelenka is shock. He was still the same as ever - the slightly untidy hair, down to the long-sleeved sweatshirt and cream cargo trousers, and a young girl was looking at him like _that._ Rodney really should have gone into lecturing.

As the clock approached two, Zelenka dismissed the class with a smile, advising them on appropriate journal articles, one of which was Rodney's. With the lecture theatre empty, and Zelenka's attention taken up by the packing up of his notes, Rodney quietly made his way down to the front of the theatre.

"You missed a decimal point Radek." Rodney said.

Immediately, Zelenka spun to look at the blackboard, before the recognizability of Rodney's tone hit him and he turned to face a sheepish-looking Rodney.

"Just kidding." Rodney said.

"What are you doing here?" Radek asked, in confusion.

"Oh you know me. I'm just fascinated by extracellular multi-electrode array recordings."

"Rodney."

"Do you have some time? I need to talk to you. In private."

The suspicion in Radek's eyes was replaced with concern, and he said, "Of course. We could take a walk. Or my office...whichever suits you."

"Let's walk."

At first, they didn't talk about why Rodney was here. Instead they passed small talk about how they had filled their life for the last year or so. Both were still single, and Rodney reflected that that may work in his favor to persuade Radek to join them in what was increasingly sounding like a dangerous plan in his head. As they reached the outskirts of the campus, they came to a solitary bench on a lawn and both sat down.

"So why are you here, Rodney?" Radek asked, as he took his glasses off to clean them.

"I don't even know where to start...it's so complicated...I need your help."

"_You _need _my _help?" Zelenka asked in shock.

"Well, not me really," Rodney said defensively, "like I said - it's complicated."

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I know it's just where to start...Basically the IOA rescued Elizabeth, hid her away, and now they've decided they're shutting down her nanites because some stray replicators turned up. They're gone now - ascended, but..."

"Rodney! Slow down! Elizabeth - Doctor Weir - is alive?"

"Yes, and that's not even the best bit. She has two children, twins and they're Sheppard's."

"So Colonel Sheppard knew she had been saved all along?"

"No, turns out they were...you know when Elizabeth was still the leader of Atlantis. Sheppard has only just found out that's he's a Dad. Like I said, it's complicated." Rodney explained, earnestly.

"You were right. I don't understand though, what do you want from me?"

Rodney looked at Radek uneasily, "We have a plan to rescue Elizabeth before they can deactivate her nanites. We're going to take control of Atlantis and beam her out of the facility where she's being held."

"Still –"

"We're leaving Milky Way, and we're going to need men." Rodney said reluctantly.

"You're _stealing_ Atlantis."

"I don't really think of it as stealing. I mean, we found it and without us, there'd be no Atlantis."

"This is very risky Rodney." Radek admitted.

"I know, but there is no other option if we're going to save Elizabeth."

At this, Radek nodded slightly and looked away from Rodney to stare at the grass in consideration. After a moment of so, he began chuckling and Rodney turned to him in shock.

"You need my help." Radek said.

"Look, I'm sure we could manage without you. In fact, it would probably run a lot smoother without you slowing me down –"

"Then you're saying you want me to come?" Radek asked, still chuckling.

"Are you coming or not?" Rodney asked, ignoring him.

"I have a job here, students to think of –"

"I'm sure your presence won't be missed too greatly; I've seen you lecture."

"- but I think this is more important." Radek finished.

"You'll come?" Rodney said, with a tone conveying more delight than he would have cared for Radek to have seen.

Quickly, Rodney began rummaging in his coat for a pen to write down his details on, muttering as he did so, but was saved by Radek holding out a pen to him with a look of exasperation. Without thanks, Rodney grabbed the pen and scribbled down his cell number and Sam and Jack's address in near illegible handwriting as he barked instructions about what he could and couldn't bring, and when he needed to be at the house. When he had pushed the piece of paper into Radek's hand, they both shook hands before they carried on their stroll through campus as if nothing had happened.

* * *

><p>When Rodney returned home, he was greeted by John who, despite himself congratulated Rodney on his powers of persuasion. As much as Rodney had an undeniable ability to drive him mad at times, he had always been there when he needed him, and had single-handedly found a way to save Elizabeth, working tirelessly since. At some point, John owed Rodney a very real and sincere 'thank you', but he had a feeling Rodney's ego could do without that until they had successfully escaped.<p>

It was all coming together, John reflected, as he sat down on his own in the garden sipping from a bottle of beer. Earlier, in the afternoon, he'd made a call to Cameron Mitchell who'd agreed to join them before John could even make a start on his mental list of reasons why he should. John had sneaking feeling that Cameron was somewhat bored with life, and almost welcomed this opportunity for some excitement and break from the mundane, as much as he wanted to save Elizabeth. With Daniel, Vala and Cassie all on board, as well as Daniel and Vala's son, they had the very vague resemblance of a crew. It wasn't ideal, but then again, when it came to Atlantis, it never had been.

He..._they..._were going home, and it had only just hit him. He was returning to the first place he'd really considered home, with Elizabeth at his side, and two children, and an extended family to boot. There were still obstacles to overcome first, sure, but it symbolized hope and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that. He couldn't; the alternative was too much to even allow himself to consider it. Not now anyway.

From behind, he felt a gentle tap on the shoulder and turned to face Jack who held out an envelope to him, before turning back and returning to the house. John looked down to the envelope, simply addressed to "John" and peeled it open, pulling out the contents. "From a former colleague", read the post-it note. Underneath the post-it note, was a card, a security pass. A top level security pass for the IOA facility where Elizabeth was being held. Slowly, John turned the card over in his hands and smiled to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: So… How many of you saw **_**this**_** coming?**


	19. Taking Atlantis

**Chapter XVIII: Taking Atlantis**

**A/N: Well, here is the second to last chapter of TWGO. Apologies on the long wait, a lot happens in this chapter, so maybe that'll make up for it. Kudos to Annelantis and IzzieStar for their assistance, I couldn't have gotten it done without them. Enjoy the chapter. SSD**

* * *

><p>A green light. And a sigh of silent relief emitted from Laura's lips. It was the day and, even with all her years of training and experience, her heart hadn't stopped racing since she had woken up that morning. The odds were higher now. So much higher than they'd ever been before and Laura couldn't even contemplate what would happen if she let them down which only served to put her nerves more on edge. She'd made it through security and yet she still couldn't relax. Of course, if anybody had been onto her, she would have been stopped by now. She knew that. She just couldn't persuade her racing heart to realize that and as much as she tried to take her mind off it, she couldn't stop herself going over the oh-so precise schedule that Rodney and Sam had decided on. If she was off, even by a couple of minutes, this whole plan would fall apart. So she continued walking to her office, avoiding eye contact with anybody coming her way wearing a suit as she was doing so, she turned over the security pass in her hand, hidden in her pocket. She had four hours to prepare. Or four hours not to be caught. Either way, these were going to be the longest four hours of her life.<p>

Rodney was jabbering nearly nonstop. Once John, Jack, Mitchell, Daniel, Vala, and Zelenka had arrived, things were kicking into high gear. They needed to get to the jumper and steal it without anyone noticing. They'd done what was usually a 20 minute drive in roughly 12 minutes. Zelenka was driving in a separate car so as not to arouse suspicion.

Once they'd come to a complete stop, Jack and Mitchell looked like they were glad that the ride was over, Daniel was slightly green, and of course Vala was the only one who looked completely unfazed. Everything was about to begin with Rodney. They would be parked close enough to get into the building quickly, but far enough away so Daniel and Vala would have to take a cab to get there.

* * *

><p>Rodney stood outside the building rubbing his palms on his trousers. He used to go on dangerous missions all the time! Admittedly, it had been a few years now, but come on! He shouldn't be this nervous. He wasn't even leaving his laboratory.<p>

As he waited for his "partner in crime", Rodney checked his breast pocket for the visitors pass he had just collected from security. It wasn't there. Trying very hard not to panic, he rubbed the sweat from his palms again and began methodically checking the other pockets. Left trouser pocket – no. Right – no. Back left – _Oh, thank God!_ He mentally congratulated himself as he pulled the card out of its hiding place.

Zelenka walked towards him. He wore brown tweed trousers and matching blazer with a white shirt and, was that a bowtie?

"_Oh, bowties are not cool!"_ thought McKay. The outfit, coupled with his perpetually frizzy hair and little round glasses, made him look like a mad scientist – no, not suspicious at all.

"Rodney," he greeted.

"You're late," McKay chided.

"Sorry, bad traffic," Zelenka replied, defensively. "We should get inside now though, shouldn't we?" He put his hand out, expectantly.

Rodney restrained himself from slamming the card into his hand but there was still a noise as it impacted. Zelenka winced, though it was unlikely it was from pain, and looked like he was about to say something. He stopped himself and started walking towards the main entrance. McKay trotted to catch up with him, staring at the building before him, knowing this would be the last time h would ever be going inside. Wow, that was a weird thought. He briefly wondered if he would miss the place or the people.

The reception area was a large space with black marble floors and walls, and a mahogany high top counter straight ahead. To the right of the counter was an X-ray machine for bags and peripherals, and a metal detector arch. Two large men in black trousers, white shirts, black ties and hats manned the area. They were dressed like run of the mill supermarket security but McKay knew the look was deceptive – they were government employees in a high security government facility that housed some of the USA's most important top secret projects.

He and Zelenka walked up to the mahogany counter to see the equally menacing "receptionist". Zelenka showed his pass and gave his name. The guard started checking his computer.

"He's with me," chimed in Rodney, perhaps unnecessarily, judging by the quizzical look the guard was giving him. The man then returned his attention to the monitor, nodded and handed Radek his card back. "Thank you, Doctor Zelenka." He indicated towards the arch.

Zelenka went through, after placing his worn leather satchel on the conveyer belt into the X-ray machine, along with his watch, shoes and glasses. Rodney was holding his breath as he stepped under the arch. There was no alarming beep and the guards waved him on. Rodney let his breath go, relieved.

Rodney shoed his own pass on a lanyard around his neck and he was allowed to through the check without going through the metal detector or taking anything off. He stood by as Zelenka put on his shoes, watch and glasses. How long did he need to take?

Finally, he was done and the two of them walked as calmly as possible towards the elevators at the end of the hallway. McKay pressed all the call buttons and tapped his fingers on his leg as he waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive.

* * *

><p>When one finally did, the door slid open and they all but jumped inside. Rodney hit the button for the top floor and they rode up in tense silence.<p>

Rodney and Sam's laboratory was only down the corridor and around the corner and was separated from the hall by secure glass doors. McKay swiped his security card in the reader to the left and the doors slid apart after three beeps.

"Showtime," Rodney said under his breath, nervously.

He walked in briskly and threw his jacket down on the high table in front of him. The buttons clattered on the surface, echoing around the near silent room, and six allegedly highly qualified underlings looked up, shocked by the sudden noise. Rodney almost smirked at the thought of any of these people trying to keep their nerve in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Rodney folded his arms across his chest and looked at each of them. Two were at the whiteboard attached to the right wall of the main lab, working on some sort of brainstorming session. The others were through the door to the left in the adjoining hangar bay, visible through a glass wall. They all seemed to be gazing in awe at the puddle jumper in the middle of the bay.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he shrieked his voice higher than he meant it to be. He moved forward so he could be heard by all of them, rather than having to do this twice.

Doctor Kane, the blond bespectacled man who looked like he should have still been in high school, stepped away from the whiteboard and gulped before stuttering, "Excuse me, Doctor McKay?"

"You're all standing around here like this is an office and you're all around the water cooler! Why aren't any of you doing, I don't know, some work?" he shouted, clapping his hands theatrically.

The scientists in the hangar bay came into the main lab, heads bowed in shame.

"All right, this is Doctor Zelenka," he said, gesturing to Radek. "I have asked him to come in because I need _someone_ who actually knows what he's doing!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zelenka do a double take.

As they all looked at him blankly, Rodney felt a twinge of remorse. But only a small one. "You know what? You're all nothing but sycophantic, wannabe morons. Not one of you has been able to figure out anything to fix that jumper and I have tried to leave you to it, but I am sick of it. This man is ten times the scientist than any of you will ever be and…" He stopped deliberately, trying to let his frustration show. "Get out," he said, quietly.

Doctor Kane looked at the others, confused. "Doctor McKay?"

"You heard me!" he yelled and pointed to the door. "Get out! All of you! Zelenka and I will do it ourselves!"

All six of them – two women and four men – Rodney was only sure of Kane's name – ran to the doors and exited as quickly as possible.

"And the Oscar goes to…" said Zelenka in his thick Czech accent as the doors closed.

Rodney collapsed on the nearest stool. "That was exhausting," he gasped. He did feel some guilt towards them for his outburst but they needed to be gone. Besides, it had been coming. Sam and Rodney – mostly Sam – had decided to let them do the bulk of the work to repair the jumper. It was supposed to be a good learning experience for them. Please! Trained monkeys could have done a better job than that bunch. He would have had it flying months ago.

"Come on, Rodney," said Zelenka, as he took of his blazer and made his way towards the hangar. "We have work to do." He removed his bowtie as he looked at the jumper. "Oh my, I did not think I would be seeing one of these again."

"Well, today's your lucky day," McKay said. He got up and walked to his area of the laboratory in the far right corner by the whiteboard. After booting up his computer, he worked his way through the systems, entering codes and passwords he should not have known, until he found what he was looking for: closed circuit television footage. There were cameras throughout the building, on every level, in every corridor, elevator, laboratory and restroom (well, probably not the restrooms).

"The stuff you need should be in the jumper already," McKay called, not taking his eyes from the screen as he cycled through each camera, preparing for the task ahead.

"Uh… Rodney?"

He looked up as he heard Zelenka's uncertainty. "What?"

"What you said to those people…"

Oh, he should have seen this coming. Trust Zelenka to get all misty-eyed about it. "Don't let it go to your head."

He saw Radek grin slightly. "I won't," he said as he turned around and headed back to the jumper.

Rodney watched him go and smiled. He then returned to the monitor. Twenty minutes later he observed a familiar couple as they trooped into reception.

* * *

><p>Daniel marched towards chest level mahogany desk, squaring his shoulders as he made eye contact with the burly man sitting behind it. He was obviously tall and muscular, with tanned skin and a black goatee. His hair was covered by a hat.<p>

Daniel turned to see Vala smiling as her eyes appraised the guard, closely. He elbowed her lightly and shook her head. He turned back and cleared his throat loudly.

"Excuse me?" he said, politely but impatiently.

The man looked up at him but said nothing.

"Hi," started Daniel, "I need to see Samantha Carter."

"The man turned to his computer screen. After a minute, he said, "Doctor Carter's not in today."

Daniel tapped his hand on the countertop. "Okay," he said, tersely. "I know Sam's probably busy but would you mind calling her lab and telling her to come down? My name's Doctor Daniel Jackson – she'll want to see me."

The man replied in a deep monotonous tone. "Doctor Carter is not here. She called in sick."

"Come on," Daniel said. "I –" he indicated a petulant looking Vala behind his shoulder with his head. "We need to see her."

"Daniel, just forget it," said Vala rather loudly. "She obviously doesn't want to see you."

"Well, you need to see her," Daniel said, sounding frustrated.

"Why?" Vala shouted. "I already know you're sleeping with her!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned in their direction. _Okay, _thought Daniel,_ now we've got their attention._

* * *

><p>Trying his best – acting was never his strong suit – to appear outraged, Daniel spun around to face his lovely wife, swinging his arms around as he cried,<p>

"Oh, for Christ's sake, I am not sleeping with Sam!" Barely pausing for breath he continued, "Sam is my friend and yours too, by the way! Her husband is my best friend I could never do that to him or to you!" He reached his hand out to touché her cheek. "I love you, Vala," he said more softly but still at a high volume. "And Sam will tell you that herself."

Vala shoved his arm away. "Oh, please!" she laughed. "Of course she's going to deny it. She's hardly going to tell the truth here, is she?"

Daniel groaned. Vala was on a roll. "There's nothing to tell." He gesticulated with his hands. "We are _not_ sleeping together! We have never slept together and we will never sleep together!"

Vala pushed past Daniel and put her arms on the desk. "Hello," she said charmingly to the guard. "Could you please ask Samantha to come down as soon as possible?"

"Like I said to the gentleman, Doctor Carter is not here," was the answer.

Daniel stood beside her, noticing that the two guards at the checkpoint had been joined by three more men and a woman, all dressed in the same uniform. It was working. Daniel also noted that all the guards had what looked like nine millimeter Berettas holstered on their belts. He was sincerely glad that he had talked Vala out of bringing a weapon. He doubted they would have had any qualms about shooting her if she started waving a gun around.

"Vala, what are you doing?" he said. "I thought you didn't want to see her."

"Well, now I do!" she bellowed. "It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind."

"You are totally nuts!" Daniel raised his voice again. He really should have brought some water for this.

"Well, let's see how nuts you think I am when I punch your lover in the face!"

"What?"

Vala turned back to the guard behind the counter. "Please get Carter down here at once," she demanded as she rolled up her sleeves. "I'm here to tell her that if she wants my Daniel then she's going to have to fight me for him!"

Daniel heard one of the personnel by the metal detector calling for back-up. Time to bring it home.

"Okay, Vala," Daniel said, moving behind her and wrapping his arms around her body, lifting her off the floor. "No one's fighting anyone for me."

Some of the guards started taking steps towards them, not at all impressed by his actions. Vala struggled in his arms as he stepped backwards, trying not to tip over as she bucked wildly.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she roared.

As the guards got closer, Daniel let go of Vala. Spinning around, he saw a look of rage in her eyes as her arm swung and her fist connected with his jaw.

The punch was so hard; he fell backwards, narrowly keeping his head from cracking against the marble floor. His jaw throbbed painfully and he speculated on the possibility that she had managed to loosen some of his teeth. He looked at his life partner incredulously. _This was not what we agreed,_ he thought.

Vala, for her part was mouthing _sorry _when she was grabbed from behind by the arms. The guards had all come running from the hallway past the checkpoint and the reception area was now in chaos. Vala writhed and screamed, "Get off of me!"

Daniel staggered back to his feet. He counted ten guards. That was all but two of the number that were supposed to be on shift. He thought back to what McKay had told them as they made these plans. Lunchtime – three security personnel in reception, one manning the office in the basement, monitoring the closed circuit feed (they wouldn't leave that room unless absolutely necessary and a domestic dispute would not qualify). The others would have just completed their rounds of all the levels and headed to the cafeteria on the first floor to eat and gossip. They would not be far away if reception called for assistance. So, seven had come to aid their colleagues. One was unaccounted for. Oh, well, that wasn't too bad, he was sure the others could handle one guard if he or she came across them.

* * *

><p>Rodney counted the guards surrounding Daniel and Vala in the reception area. He could see ten. He quickly used the mouse to select the camera in the cafeteria and saw one man in the same outfit sitting alone at a large table in the middle of the room, the half empty plates indicating that the area had been recently vacated – except for him.<p>

It was time. He sent a quick text on his phone then made his way through various systems until he found the electronic locking system. He found the lock for the delivery entrance at the rear of the building on the ground floor. He had recorded footage of the empty loading bay and various empty corridors and stairwells while Daniel and Vala were raising hell below. He had already set the footage outside the rear door on a loop, to play over and over again. As far as the security guard on duty could see, no one was in the area.

John yawned tiredly. He'd been up since 0400 when Cadman had arrived to get the security pass that had been given to them. He had no idea who had given it to them. He had his suspicions, but wasn't entirely certain about any of them.

Thankfully, both of the twins had slept all the way through the night without any kind of interruptions for the first time since they were in DC. He'd packed up their belongings in boxes. John had also watched them sleep peacefully for a while. It helped remind him why he was doing this: He was doing this for them and for Elizabeth, so that they could be a family at last.

* * *

><p>There was a quiet but audible click inside the thick metal door. John said a silent prayer and gently pushed the handle down. There was no resistance as he pulled the door open slightly and pooped his head through the gap to make sure the corridor was all clear. He noted the camera at the end of the hallway, pointing towards the door and him and hoped Rodney was keeping up his end of the plan.<p>

As he saw John push the handle down on the door, Rodney set to work, hacking into the camera in the corridor and replacing the live feed with the footage he had recorded earlier. The corridor appeared to be empty and did not contain, as he could see on the actual film, three men, all dressed in black, making their way to the stairwell door. He then started hacking into each camera along the pre-determined route to the laboratory, making sure that all the guards saw was empty corridors and staircases.

John, Jack, and Cameron moved quickly but stealthily, until they reached the top floor.

As they walked towards Rodney's laboratory, John's heart began to quicken. If they pulled this off, and the odds were increasing with every moment, they would be one step closer. They had to pull this off, though, there was no other choice. This jumper was the only way to reach Atlantis and Atlantis was their only hope of rescuing Elizabeth before the IOA deactivated her nanites. They couldn't fail.

Finally, they reached the glass doors of the lab. John knocked on the pane and saw Rodney look up and heave a huge sigh of relief.

Rodney had set the pre-recorded footage in the laboratory rolling so ran over to the doors and pressed the button to allow John, Cam and Jack to enter.

"Well, that was a piece of cake," said Jack, glaring at McKay.

"Hey, didn't you used to be black ops?" retorted Rodney.

"Can we not?" said Sheppard, looking at both of them, pleadingly. "We're here, so let's get on with it."

Rodney nodded sheepishly, understanding his friend's impatience. Picking up a tablet from his desk, he gestured for them to follow him and led them through to the hangar bay. He looked back to see John running his hand along the hull of the jumper as they went around to the rear hatch. He bit his tongue as he thought of telling John to get himself and the jumper a room. It was probably inappropriate.

As they filed past Rodney into the ship, Rodney reiterated the next part of the plan.

"I'm gonna reset the cameras back to normal – except for the elevator – then I'm gonna come and help. Do not leave this jumper as there is no camera in here but there is out there. Radek, how's it coming?" he called.

Zelenka was under the dashboard in the cockpit, only his lower body visible. "Nearly there!" he answered.

_I knew it_, thought Rodney. If it took Radek less than an hour (though a lot of the work had been done in terms of finding out what the problems couldn't be), then how did those idiots even graduate high school? Well, it didn't matter anymore. After today, he wouldn't have to put up with any of them ever again.

He went to the computer and completed the camera reset. He got his phone out.

* * *

><p>Daniel and Vala sat on two chairs opposite each other in the reception area, still surrounded by security. None had left as each time it looked like a possibility Vala would kick up a fuss again. Last time, she had wrapped her arms around the waist of the well-built "receptionist" and wept as she told him of their lackluster relationship, the loss of trust, the fact that that she would have to raise their son alone… Daniel had rolled his eyeballs more than once, earning him glares from every one of the spectators. She was still good.<p>

Daniel's phone rang. He slowly reached into his inner jacket pocket, not wanting to make any of the armed guards jumpy. It was McKay. "Hello?"

"We're in. Go to the RVP, we'll be there soon." The connection cut.

Daniel, however, didn't. "Sam… Where are you? Oh, you're not at work…Why? No reason really…It's just Vala and I thought we would, you know, catch up… You'd like that? Great. Where are you? Uh-huh… Okay, see you there." He hung up and looked at the guards. They all looked at him as though he had just spoken to his mistress. This meant they had bought it.

"Vala, sweetie?" he said, laying on the charm thickly.

"What?"

"Sam wants us to go over to her place."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." Daniel stood up. He turned to Vincent, the guy in charge of the day shift. "Look, is it okay if we go? I really want to get this clear up and now I know Sam's not here…"

Vincent looked darkly at him. "Fine, but may I suggest that I never see you here again."

Daniel nodded quickly. "Oh, that won't be a problem." He went over to Vala and pulled her by the hand out of her chair. "Sorry about all this," he said as he hurried past.

"Good day, Sir," said Vincent. He quirked a smile at Vala, "Ma'am."

Daniel had no doubt that Vala winked at him, even though she was behind him. Some things never changed.

* * *

><p>No one spoke as Rodney and Zelenka continued their repairs. Fifteen minutes had passed since John Cam and Jack's arrival and, if anything, the jumper looked worse, with tools, wires, and crystals strewn everywhere.<p>

"Sheppard!"

John looked up to see McKay pointing to the pilot's chair. "Sit," he commanded.

Too tense to start an argument with him, John just went and sat down.

"Start it up," said McKay, as he manipulated the overhead circuit boards in the rear compartment.

John concentrated on engaging the jumper but nothing happened. He couldn't feel any kind of connection to the jumper at all. It had been while since he had flown one but he hadn't forgotten how it felt to be in control of a puddle jumper – it was something he sorely missed. "Nothing," he informed Rodney.

"Damn it!" McKay barked and continued what he was doing, then pushed a few crystals into the wall above the bench. "Radek, how's it looking under there?"

Zelenka pushed himself out from under the dashboard. "All done," he announced. "Do you want to check for yourself?"

"Well –"

Suddenly, John's mind was filled with information: the condition of the engine pods, munitions, air supply, dimensions of the room outside the jumper. The dashboard lit up.

Cameron stood behind him, smiling. "Looks like we're cooking on gas now, people."

Jack shot a glance over to McKay. "There a way out of here, or do we need to make a big hole in the wall?"

"No, no," stated McKay, at the same time as the Heads Up Display blinked into life, showing a picture of the ceiling, Rodney pointed. "There's a hatch above us. That's why we're on the top floor."

"Then let's get moving," said John over his shoulder, now eager to get in the air. So close now…

"Hold on," said Rodney, running out of the jumper.

"All right," he said, confidently as he got back in. "We are in business. I've rigged this tablet to open the ceiling hatch without setting off the alarms. So if you can cloak before we get out of the hatch we should be home free. For a while, anyway."

John nodded to him. He pressed the button to bring up the rear hatch and grabbed the controls. The jumper lifted from the floor and, almost immediately, John directed it to cloak.

Rodney activated the ceiling hatch and John carefully maneuvered the jumper through the hole.

* * *

><p>The five men glanced out of the viewport, at the city below. John found it strange to be flying a puddle jumper over an Earth city – it was not something he had ever been able to do but it was pretty cool.<p>

He flew the jumper to a park not too far away from Rodney's ex-workplace (well not yet, but it wasn't like he was ever going back). The HUD's life signs detector showed it was all but deserted, thanks to the fact that everyone's lunch breaks were long over and the kids were still in school. There was a pre-school age playground near the main entrance which showed activity but they moved over it, finally lowering at the edge of a wooded area.

Rodney got out his phone and called Daniel. "Get ready," he stated brusquely, "we're landing at the co-ordinates now."

They touched down. John saw two life signs moving out of the woods and opened the rear hatch.

He turned to see Vala and Daniel standing outside, though they clearly couldn't see that the jumper was right in front of them. Rodney ran to the opening and poked his head out. John marveled at the vision of the floating head of McKay they must now be seeing and shuddered.

As soon as they were inside, John shut the hatch and lifted off. He turned to greet their passengers and saw that Daniel was sporting a distinctive red mark on the left side of his jaw. It would make a spectacular bruise in the morning. "What happened?" he asked, guilt building as he imagined Daniel being hit by the guards whilst creating a diversion so they could rescue his w-Elizabeth.

"Vala happened," said Daniel, his voice clipped.

"I got caught up in the moment," Vala explained. "How many more times can I say I'm sorry?"

Daniel looked at McKay. "How long is the trip to Pegasus?"

Rodney shrugged. "Eighteen days, give or take. But if it helps, I think the…" he waved in the area of Daniel's injury, "…really helped sell it."

"See!" said Vala, triumphantly. "Thank you, Doctor McKay."

"But did you have to sell it quite so hard?" pointed out Daniel.

John turned back to the front, tuning out all the conversations and arguments behind him. He smiled as he came to a realization. Part one of the plan was complete. They were now actually one step closer. _Just hold on, Elizabeth, _he thought. _We're on our way._

* * *

><p>Cadman looked up at the clock. It would take about twenty minutes to get to where Elizabeth was, and then if things went as planned, they'd be in Atlantis a very short time later.<p>

She needed to leave and soon. Maybe she'd get there with some time to spare, and talk to Elizabeth. And maybe they'd get away scot-free without any complications.

Laura snorted. This wasn't going to be easy. The risks with this rescue mission had risks all their own. If this didn't work… It was time to leave. She had a date with destiny.

* * *

><p>They'd split off into teams upon arrival. John, Jack, and Rodney were a team, with Cameron, Zelenka, Daniel, and Vala on two other teams.<p>

Stealing the jumper had been easy, once they all had gotten past security, in their various ways. John smirked at how Daniel and Vala had argued as a distraction. If things hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed at the whole thing.

Rodney's Intel had been correct. There was only a skeleton crew on Atlantis and they were slowly herding them into the Gate Room carefully. Mercifully none had noticed that they were being herded to be beamed out or even noticed that there were others in the city at all.

Once he got to the last room of his route, John saw something that made him smile. Kavanaugh had his back turned as was completely oblivious to anything and everything around him. Smiling to himself, he raised the zat and fired. The bastard never saw it coming.

Calling in on his comm, John said,

"I've got everyone in my sector. Time to beam everyone out."

A few seconds later, all of the skeleton crew was gone. The city was theirs. But there was no time for celebration.

"Hey Rodney, time to beam the kids and the others in. You ready?"

A few seconds later, the kids, Sam, Carson, and Cassie were in Atlantis. The kids were staring all around them with big eyes.

* * *

><p>As Cadman got to where Elizabeth was, she used her card again. Once she was allowed in she heard,<p>

"Laura, what are you doing here? I thought your rotation was done."

"We don't really have time for questions, Doctor Weir. I need you to put this bracelet now."

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked as she put it on.

"It's a locator beacon and our way out of here."

Of course no sooner did Elizabeth get her locator beacon on, did alarms start going off.

"Ah shit." Laura muttered.

* * *

><p>"Rodney, what the Hell's going on? Shouldn't Elizabeth and Laura be here right now?"<p>

"There's a glitch in the programming."

"A glitch? Now?"

"I'm working as fast as I can, Sheppard."

John was on the edge. If things didn't work out…

* * *

><p>"Hands in the air, now!"<p>

Deciding that obeying was good idea, Laura and Elizabeth put them in the air.

Elizabeth closed her eyes. She felt a bright white light engulf her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: What did you guys think? I know I'm being cruel here, but there's a reason. **


	20. Home Again

**Chapter XIX: Home Again**

**A/N: Wow. What a ride this has been. Nearly two years later, I'm finally posting the last chapter of The World Goes On. It doesn't seem that long. Thank you very much to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story. Annelantis and blackwidowmistress thanks a million for everything you've helped with. And last but certainly not least, IzzieStar. She was the first person to reply when I asked for help with this story. She helped bring this story to life. From the initial planning stages of TWGO, she's been here a lot. I don't think I could've done this without her or any of you. Now let's get on with the last chapter of TWGO. Sparky She-Demon.**

* * *

><p>As Elizabeth opened her eyes, she heard two loud, happy voices yelling,<p>

"MOMMY!"

Her kids nearly knocked her to the ground in their rush to hug her. Elizabeth hugged them tightly in return. She thought that she would never get to see them again. At first she thought that they might be hallucinations, after days of imagining their faces and hoping she would see them again, but hallucinations wouldn't have any weight. Clutching them closer to her body, she smiled in their hair taking in everything that she'd missed. Slowly she pulled back and smiled at them before looking up to John, whose smile reflected her own. Letting go of the twins, she straightened up and looked into his eyes.

"I didn't think I'd ever see any of you again, never mind Atlantis," She confessed, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes.

John stepped forward, gently taking her hand, "I let you go once before and I've never forgiven myself for it. I wasn't about to let it happen again, especially with so much more at stake."

He lifted his hand from hers, but the pressure remained. Blinking away her tears, she looked down and saw something she had never expected to see again. It had been so long that she'd almost forgotten, she realized, as she stroked the face with her thumb. And he'd kept it. He'd kept her father's pocket watch, knowing what it meant to her, even when he thought she was dead. In some ways, this, and what it symbolized, meant as much to her as the rescue itself the tears that she had so far managed to restrain, suddenly spilled from her eyes and he pulled her into his body. The moment was interrupted by the twins clamoring at them both simultaneously, forcing them to pull apart both laughing slightly.

"I'm sorry; we're ignoring you, aren't we?" Elizabeth commented.

"Mommy, this is the place in your adventure stories!" JJ said.

"I think it's time for Mommy to tell you the truth about those adventure stories once we are settled in," Elizabeth said, looking around the room with appreciative smile before turning to John and raising an eyebrow.

Olivia, who was staring at her Mom picked up on this and tugged at Elizabeth's shirt, "Are you and Daddy going to get married now?"

Both John and Elizabeth chuckled affectionately at this question, daring the other to respond with their eyes. Cheekily, John nodded his head to Elizabeth who looked momentarily affronted before turning to their daughter.

"We'll be working that out, Olivia. Give us some time."

"Besides, you have no idea how hard it is to find a decent church in space," John commented, stroking a disappointed-looking Olivia's hair.

Unable to resist, John leaned forward and kissed Elizabeth gently, much to the disgust of both twins who immediately shouted "eww!" whilst attempting to push their parents apart.

"Alright, keep it G rated you two. We still have to get out of here. You can do whatever you want later." Said Jack with a smirk on his face.

Elizabeth asked,

"Who's flying?"

"Mitchell is doing the flying for now."

"I didn't realize he had the Ancient gene."

"He didn't. Carson gave it to him with that gene therapy of his. I offered to fly it, but the doc vetoed it. He didn't say why, other than the fact that it was a good idea that the person flying didn't have family members to worry about."

Immediately after that, Rodney shouted,

"We're ready to make the jump to hyperspace. Grab onto something if you can't get to a seat."

No sooner did the rest grab hold of something, there was the fast lurch into hyperspace.

John turned to Elizabeth, cupped her face and said,

"We did it. You're free."

Elizabeth kissed him like there was no tomorrow, ignoring the loud noises of disgust that the twins were making.

* * *

><p>As she took hold of his hand and led him to the doors of one of the balconies in the room, Sam felt her heart pounding uncontrollably. She squeezed Jack's hand for comfort before realizing he was the reason she was so anxious.<p>

She knew John and Elizabeth were watching them walk away in confusion, since she had interrupted Jack's tickling of Olivia. She noticed Nick leave Vala's side and run past them, presumably to see the twins. She briefly made eye contact with Daniel, his concern obvious. Carson was observing them out of the corner of her eye and stepping away from a conversation with Rodney.

Yes, she was behaving strangely. But then, the circumstances were rather strange. How was she going to do this? Her mind was whirling with the ways in which she could tell him and the different ways he could react. This was going to be difficult. But why? This should have been an exciting and joyous thing to announce – right?

The balcony doors opened on their approach and they stepped out onto the balcony. The view of the city as it flew through hyperspace, the shield glowing against the backdrop of the blue streaks was quite breathtaking, something she was used to seeing on the various ships she had been on, but not comparable to this.

"What's goin' on, Carter?" Jack asked, curiously. Sam smiled at the use of her surname, something he still did, even after all these years of working together and living together and being married to each other. It was endearing and she loved it.

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she started, noticing the shakiness of her voice. "I…uh… I need to tell you something and –" she laughed, nervously. "Wow, this really hard and I don't know why it is, and I need you to not be mad with me." She was rambling and she knew it. She blinked to keep from shedding the tears that had already formed and looked down when no more words would come out.

Jack took a step forward and gently cupped her face with his hands. He raised her head and she saw the worry she was causing him. "Sam, what is it?" His thumbs stroked her cheeks.

She gripped both of his wrists as if her life depended on it and inhaled again, placing them on her stomach, "I'm pregnant. I've known for about six weeks."

Dropping his hand from her stomach in shock, Jack turned to look into Sam's eyes which were full of trepidation. Six weeks she had been hiding this secret from him, knowing just how much pressure he'd been under and now she had finally admitted it she had expected something more than the open-mouthed silence she was facing.

"Say something," she said, shakily.

Still he said nothing, shaking his head...but there was a smiling forming and he reached out to place his hand on her stomach where their baby was growing. He was going to get another chance, another chance to make it work and do well by his child. Staring at their hands entwined over her stomach, he thought of Charlie and how much he missed him, but now wasn't the time to be sad and he kissed Sam gently, silently vowing to spend the rest of his life caring for her and their child.

They walked back in and

"Congratulations," Carson, muttered as he drifted past them clutching a bottle of champagne.

Pulling away, realization dawned on Jack, "So that's why you two kept disappearing for those chats."

"I didn't want to burden you," Sam confessed, biting her lip.

"Burden me? I'm...I'm happier than I've ever been. O'Neill Junior is one lucky kid with all these aunties and uncles on hand, not to mention his beautiful mother." "O'Neill Junior?" Sam asked, with raised eyebrows trying to look cross, but secretly she was delighted.

* * *

><p>Laughing, Sam leaned in to kiss Jack once again, continuing to smile as she felt his lips on her own. It was okay. For now anyway; there were so many twists and turns to come, but what mattered was that the little person inside of her had loving and committed parents, and an extended family that would never let them down. The moment was interrupted by Cassie offering two mugs of champagne, but, somehow she didn't mind. Instead, she pulled Cassie into an unexpected hug, leaving Cassie looking slightly confused. This wasn't the moment though; first of all they had to make sure they were safe. Turning back to look at Jack she noticed him holding his hand out and frowned slightly before realization dawned on her and she passed her mug of champagne back to Jack.<p>

"I'm sure the twins and Nick will be delighted to have an OJ companion," Jack said with a smile.

Taking the mug, he walked across the room, patting Cameron who was flying the city with frowned concentration on the shoulder, as he went who murmured some form of recognition before returning to his concentration. When he reached the carton of OJ and began dividing it into mugs, he was interrupted by Nick who had sidled up to him with a smile.

"Hey big guy," He said fondly.

"Can I have some of the grown up fizzy?" Nick asked politely.

"Not a chance," He said, passing two mugs of OJ to him, before returning to Sam.

As he passed the mug of OJ to Sam, who still couldn't keep herself from smiling, he realized that all eyes were on him.

"If you're expecting any speeches, you're looking at the wrong person. This was John's idea."

Each set of eyes in the room shifted to John who opened his mouth indignantly, "I'm not really one for the grand speeches."

"Well I happen to have a bit of experience, and given how much I owe to all of you, maybe I should say a few words," Elizabeth said, "When I joined the Stargate program all those years ago, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I thought it was about cultural and scientific discovery, but I was so wrong. I've seen things that most couldn't dream of, but nothing compares to the feeling of knowing what you have all done for me, and for each other. I can never thank you enough. To family."

Everybody in the room raised their glass; even Rodney although his eyes remained fixed on the console, and said, "To family!"

After they finished their drinks Carson said,

"Come on; let's take a picture to remember this."

John and Rodney groaned, but when Elizabeth gave John a sultry look, he got a goofy look on his face and started towards to the chair area.

When Rodney hadn't come, Sheppard said,

"Come on McKay, don't you want to miss out being in the picture that commemorates your genius plan?"

Since that appealed to his ego, Rodney joined the picture.

Elizabeth took in all the people assembled in and or around the chair waiting for the picture to get taken. There was Carson who was messing around with the camera with Cadman's "help". She figured that those two would be together within a year, 18 months tops. Rodney and Zelenka were already arguing about how much power would be wise to use once they got to the Pegasus galaxy. Mitchell was flying the city; she would have to thank him later for completely uprooting himself at a moment's notice. Daniel, Vala, and their son Nicholas were also there. Elizabeth had seen some early interactions between Nick and the twins and it seemed that they would be good friends. Sam and Jack only had eyes for each other, then again given their news she wasn't too surprised. She owed Jack a lot, since he'd told John everything.

Elizabeth then looked at John with their children. Though it had been a little rocky at the beginning, he'd really grown into the role of being a father. And the twins absolutely adored him.

They would face the future together as a new adventure unfolded. They had each other, their family, and their friends.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: And that my readers, is the end. It's been a wild, enjoyable, ride** **that I would do again. There is a planned sequel, titled A Family Affair which will take place roughly ten years down the line. I hope to have the first chapter up before the New Year. Certain SGA characters that didn't appear in TWGO will appear in AFA.**

**Sparky She-Demon **


End file.
